Susan Antolin
Books
The Years That Went Missing
First Place in the Backbone Press Haiku Contest
Fist Place in the Haiku Society of America Merit Book Awards
Winner of a Touchstone Distinguished Book Award
"This second outstanding collection of haiku and senryu from Susan Antolin is brimming with wit and wisdom. Here is someone who understands language well enough to sometimes turn it on its head to great effect. But beneath each playful phrase is a deep emotional sensitivity. With a keen eye for the quotidian moments of life, the more personal these poems, the more universal their impact. Though Antolin often addresses those closest to her, you will surely come away feeling yourself one among them. This is a gem of a book, well worth waiting for."
—Carolyn Hall, Editor, Mariposa
"The reason Susan Antolin is so loved as a poet, and editor, and cheerleader for the work of others is that she is the child, the spouse, the parent, the poet, and the caregiver we all want to know in our own lives. And lucky we are to know her in this volume."
—Touchstone Distinguished Book Award panel commentary
"Susan Antolin's chapbook, The Years That Went Missing depicts a daughter's lost years with her mother. Her mother's health is as delicate as the snowfall, as delicate as the nurse's care, as delicate as the words. At the same time, the daughter's husband shares the experience with her. Still, Antolin reveals quietness and strength amidst all the health issues. She finds reverence in birdsong and blossoms and other natural world things. These fifty-two poems are full of intelligence and grace. This collection of poems is highly recommended because it matters and brings healing."
—Lenard D. Moore, Former President, The Haiku Society of America, and Author of The Open Eye and A Temple Looming
"A more interpersonally relational presence creates coherence in Susan Antolin’s second full length collection, The Years That Went Missing. For Antolin relationship is the locus of her art."
—Dan Schwerin, Modern Haiku (read full review here)
Artichoke Season
"In these spare and soulful poems, Susan Antolin makes everyday moments, family routines, and passing seasons shimmer. Gardening, spring-cleaning, cradling her baby's cheek or eating cherries with her son--she invites us to see familiar rituals with fresh eyes and an open heart."
—Elizabeth Fishel, author of Reunion and co-editor of Wednesday Writers and Something that Matters
"A wonderful, nourishing book of haiku and tanka that does what fine poetry should: it stills the mind on a single image and holds it there for a clarifying moment--of beauty, enlightenment, and--most importantly, of selflessness. I dissolved into the poetry."
—Anastasia Hobbet, author of Small Kingdoms
The San Francisco Haiku Anthology: Volume Two
“The second volume of The San Francisco Haiku Anthology attests to the continued growth of English-language haiku within the Bay Area and neighboring vicinities, and it showcases the incredible talent across this region. These poets have been instrumental in shaping the development of ELH for decades.”
-Ce Rosenow, former president, Haiku Society of America
"If anyone out there has any doubts about the preeminence of San Francisco Bay Area haiku, please direct their attention here. [ . . . ] Editors Antolin, Gay, and Hall have done a topnotch job in curating the 722 haiku and senryu (up from 300). I have no doubts you'll want this book."
-Charles Trumbull, editor emeritus, Modern Haiku
"This long-awaited anthology featuring haiku poets from the Bay Area welcomes us into their community. Page after page, their haiku astonish with vivid images [ . . . ] Immerse yourself in these moments of revelation and sensory delight that remind us of our abiding connections to the natural world and to each other."
-Margaret Chula, author, Firefly Lanterns: Twelve Years in Kyoto
"From my lifelong perch on the opposite coast, I’ve often wondered how and why the Bay Area has spawned and nurtured so much haiku talent over so many years. The answer still eludes me. Regardless, this collection of work has transformed my low-level jealousy to fervent admiration and unalloyed delight. So let me now proclaim (or incite) a fresh California Gold Rush: these pages contain precious nuggets!"
-Scott Mason, author, The Wonder Code: Discover the Way of Haiku and See the World with New Eyes
Susan Antolin (she/her) fell in love with modern Japanese poetry while living in Japan in the late 1980s. She has served as the newsletter editor for the Haiku Society of America; newsletter editor and past president of the Haiku Poets of Northern California; a frequent judge of haiku contests; and the job she loves most, editor of Acorn: A Journal of Contemporary Haiku. Currently serving on the Touchstone Distinguished Book Awards Panel for the Haiku Foundation. Operates the small independent publishing company Spare Poems Press.
She holds a BA in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara, a JD, cum laude, from the University of San Francisco, School of Law, and was admitted to the California State Bar in 1995 (currently inactive status). In 2023 she became a student again and is pursuing an MFA in poetry in the low-residency creative writing program at NYU. She and her husband live in Walnut Creek, California, where they enjoy hiking in the foothills of Mt. Diablo with their two dogs and any of their three grown children they can cajole into joining them.
Media
Poets & Writers Magazine: Agents and Editors Recommend, April 17, 2024.
Huge thanks to Nayana K. for producing the following video and to her teacher, John O'Connor, who teaches a 9th grade Media Production class in a Chicago area public school. And thanks also to Alex K. for the original music!
2021 Interview with Mike Rehling, editor, Failed Haiku
Love Letters In Light, Selected Poem, 2021
Haiku featured on NPR, Beach Adventures and Falling in Love: A Summer In Haiku, 2019, selected by Kwame Alexander
Featured Poet, May 2017, Mann Library's Daily Haiku, Cornell University
Haiku
Selected Essays and Commentary
Book review: Ea's e by Scott Metz, Modern Haiku, vol. 53.3
Haiku Aesthetics: A Look at Understatement, Modern Haiku, vol. 47.3
Commentary on winning poems for the Peggy Willis Lyles Haiku Awards, 2020
Commentary on winning manuscripts for the Turtle Light Press Haiku Chapbook Contest, 2019
Readings and Events
Book Launch Reading for The San Francisco Haiku Anthology: Volume Two
(December 15, 2024)
Haiku San Diego (November 10, 2024)
Online presentation: "Measuring Time in Haiku"
British Haiku Society (June 6, 2021)
Online presentation on Understatement in Haiku
Seabeck Haiku Getaway (November 1, 2020)
Online panel of four poets on “Vision” in haiku
Evergreen Haiku Study Group, East Lansing, MI (October 24, 2020)
Online presentation: “Why Do We Write Haiku?”
Book launch for The Years That Went Missing (August 30, 2020)
Online reading
Haiku North America Conference, Winston Salem, NC (August 9, 2019)
Presentation: “The Role of the Editor”
Haiku Poets of Northern California, San Francisco, CA (January 20, 2019)
Featured Reader
Project Artaud, San Francisco, CA (November 12, 2017)
Reading with poet Stephanie Baker
South San Francisco Public Library (April 15, 2017)
Presentation: “Reading and Demonstration on the Art of Creating Haiku”
Diablo California Naturalists, Walnut Creek, CA (January 30, 2017)
Presentation: "The Art of Seeing"
Haiku Society of America Regional Meeting, Portland, OR (August 12, 2016)
Group reading
Haiku Society of America, Asia Pacific Museum, Pasadena, CA (March 19, 2016)
Talk on Haiku Aesthetics
Haiku North America Conference, Schenectady, NY (October 17, 2015)
Presentation: “Haiku Aesthetics: Understatement in Haiku”
Haiku North America Conference, Schenectady, NY (October 16, 2015)
Editors’ Panel
Haiku Society of America Regional Meeting, Santa Rosa, CA (July 19, 2015)
Featured Reader
Books Inc., Berkeley, CA (July 18, 2015)
Group reading
Haiku Pacific Rim Conference, Asilomar, Pacific Grove, CA (September 8, 2012)
Presentation: “A Look at Cutting and Shifting in Haiku”
American Literature Association, San Francisco, CA (May 25, 2012)
Moderator for panel: “African American Haiku”
Yuki Teikei Haiku Society Tea House Reading, San Jose, CA (May 12, 2012)
Group reading
Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore, Berkeley, CA (May 15, 2011)
Group reading
Cafe Revolution, Mission District, San Francisco, CA (November 22, 2010)
Reading with haiku poets Fay Aoyagi and Carolyn Hall. Hosted by Caveat Lector.
Haiku Society of America, Asia Pacific Museum, Pasadena, CA (February 20, 2010)
Reading from Artichoke Season
Haiku Poets of Northern California, San Francisco, CA (October 25, 2009)
Featured Reader
LitQuake 2009, Anthony’s Cookies, Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA (October 17, 2009)
Reading with poets Fay Aoyagi, Garry Gay, David Grayson, Carolyn Hall and Ebba Story.
Haiku Poets of Northern California Two Autumns Reading, San Francisco, CA (August 20, 2006)
Group reading
Susan Antolin
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© 2022, Susan Antolin, All Rights Reserved
Email: susantolin@gmail.com