esejieng

SV: You are the owner and managing editor of Simply Haiku with more than 5000 readers worldwide. Do you consider it a great success, as most do, and how did it come to be?

RW: Being successful or establishing a name for our journal has never been a goal. As a journal we wanted to fill a need. There is a lot of confusion in the world haiku community regarding Japanese short form poetry. Take senryu, for instance. Senryu for a long time was lumped together with haiku in haiku anthologies, and still is in journals and online e-zines, and it is not generally categorized as a separate though closely related genre. This is something Simply Haiku has been striving to alter with our new Senryu section, edited by Alan Pizzarelli.

There is a lot of confusion regarding tanka as well. Some think tanka and waka are two different genres. They are not. They are one and the same, following the same pattern, using the colloquial speech of the day, be it now or in the past. It is as if there are two different schools of thought: that emanating from Japan and the other emanating from the English-speaking community, which is influenced heavily by American poets who, after only six decades with this poetry are (compared to the Japanese) relative newbies. Our journal gives to readers the finest, most up-to-date scholarship on the planet, bar none: Makoto Ueda, Sam Hamill, Peipei Qiu, Steven D. Carter, Akita Arima, Edwin Cranston, Harold Wright. The list goes on. And will continue to do so.

We are more than a showcase for poetry. We are a storehouse of relevant information that, up until now, has only been available via expensive books, esoteric publications, and journals with limited readership. We have the readership we do because we do not limit ourselves to paid subscribers, membership rolls, or to one geographic location. And most importantly, we harbor a deep respect for the forms we represent and the Japanese heritage that gave us these forms. We are not out to reinvent the wheel. That is for others to do, if they choose to do so.

It is imperative to get a solid understanding of the genres we represent before true innovation can evolve. To do otherwise is to foster mediocrity. Another thing we do differently from a lot of journals is to showcase several of a poet's poems versus printing one or two. I do this to give readers some insight into the mindset and artistic path individual poets have embarked on. (Showcasing a single exemplary haiku is all well and good, but that does not give readers enough of a feel for the direction that a particular poet is taking.) And finally, we think there is room for both established and new poets to have exposure. (I make it a point not to demean those who submit work that we decide not to use. From my own experience, I know how unhelpful -- and wrong -- that can be.)

SV: Simply Haiku is very well designed, informative, insightful, interesting, a blend of so many issues related to haiku and like forms. It can be seen at first sight that it is made and maintained by artistic minds and hands. Apart from you, whose idea was to launch this website, who else is engaged in its publication and how difficult is it to maintain its quality?

RW: Simply Haiku was originally the brainchild of Robert Mestre. He asked me to join him as a co-owner and founding partner. He later had to step down due to ill health. Simply Haiku is well designed and a team effort. I believe in giving a great amount of autonomy to my chosen editors. Although as managing editor, I do have the final say, I prefer a team approach, working closely with Johnye Strickland and Carol Raisfeld, my associate editors, and the other members of the staff. They are all tops in the fields they represent.

Our standards are high. Academic content and aesthetics are equally important. An incredible amount of time is spent putting every issue together. We do not follow a simple formula. Every issue is a challenge, and a cohesive work of art. We strive to build upon prior issues and to become better and better in meeting the needs of our readers. And to play a role in educating the public in regard to excellent Japanese short form poetry, both ancient and contemporary, that written in Japan as well as in other languages from the rest of the world. We want the content to speak for itself and manifest goals to attain for new poetry.

SW: Apart from writing haiku, you are the author of an as yet unpublished murder mystery novel entitled Late For Mass. Can you tell us something about it? Is it as brief and concise as your haiku poems are?

RW: The novel is over three hundred pages with a lot of dialogue and a complex plot. It took six months to research and write. Those who have read my book say it is a winner and they are continually encouraging me to get it published. Hopefully, one day I will find the time to seek out an agent.

SV: You are also the author of an e-book of haibun entitled Vietnam Ruminations. Experiences from the war in South Vietnam still linger in your mind refusing to let go. How do you feel about it and is it helpful to pen your ruminations in order to get rid of those long time sufferings?

RW: I never set out to write a book of haibun about the Vietnam War and my experiences while stationed in the war zone. I wrote a haiku recounting a memory I had of the war and wrote some prose to accompany the poem. The response was incredible. People asked me to write more, which I did. To date, I have written 187 haibun for the book. It seems to have taken on a life of its own. Almost all of it has been published in past issues of the World Haiku Review. And every once in a while, a new rumination, as I call these haibun, surfaces. The manuscript has been translated into both Japanese and Italian languages and is currently being translated into the Rumanian language. Two years ago, Michael Rehling set up a website to feature my book, www.vietnamruminations.com. I am grateful for his support and belief in this project. It is not a book taking sides nor does it advocate war. Instead it sees the war through those who experienced it, the soldiers of both sides and the civilians who lived through it. I often receive letters from people who were born after the war who say they were touched by the haibun and now see war from a different perspective. And yes, it has not been an easy journey for me in writing this book. It required unearthing skeletons I had stuffed away. Yet in writing the book, I feel as if a weight has been removed from me, and I am the better for it.

SV: Well, haiku may come as a relief sometimes... Is it a relief to you?

RW: Composing Japanese short form poetry is my passion. It is an important part of my life.

SV: Can you recall your first haiku poems?

RW: No. I wrote my first haiku when I was in the 5th grade. My father, the late Robert Dean Wilson, wrote haiku and encouraged me to write following his footsteps.

SV: What are your personal inclinations in poetry, western and eastern? Who are your favorite poets? And why?

RW: I am influenced by Augusti Bartra, William Blake, Edwin Markham, my father, the late Robert D. Wilson, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Michael McClure, Anita Virgil, Michael McClintock, William Shakespeare, Shotetsu, Mokichi Saito, Matsuo Basho, Kobayashi Issa, Yosa Buson, Chiyo-ni, Yosano Akiko, Saigyo, Tonna, Fumiko Nakajo, Emperor Kogon, Fujiwara Teika, Masaoka Shiki, Jack Hirschman, Terry Busch -- and my fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Black. I am a stickler for metre and believe it is essential to the formation of a good poem. I love a poem that is indelible, has depths to plumb intellectually, that touches the soul, and is written with a fresh voice, with fresh imagery. Too much of what is passed off today as poetry, albeit occidental or eastern, is lacking in substance.

The poetry world, especially when it comes to Japanese short form poetry has become anemic. Formula writing, forgettable snapshots, cute snippets… Like any art-form, poetry takes work and practice, coupled with serious study. We need the work ethic the Japanese have long insisted upon in their poetry.

SV: It appears that your haiku write themselves, so easily, so beautifully, constantly... What do you have to do with them? To be serious: How difficult is it to write haiku poems?

RW: Some come instantly. Most take gestation and editing. The composition of a Japanese short form poem for me is an act of meditation; an inner exploration; a merging with whatever I am writing about. I literally close my eyes and listen to nature and my subconscious mind. In essence, they have a conversation with one another which I am a party to. Having lived and studied in Southeast Asia and the United States, my thinking is a symbiosis of oriental and western thinking. Animism, Zen Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism, Native American religions, Filipino folklore, Judaism and Christianity influence my thinking and outlook.

SV: You compose haiku on a daily basis. Splendid, marvelous haiku... You have won a handful of international awards, your haiku have been published worldwide, included in numerous anthologies, you are a performing poet, your work has been included in Ikuyo Yoshimura's college textbook. It comes as a surprise that you have not collected them in a book...

RW: For now, with all I am involved in, I'd rather write poetry than market it. Eventually, it will happen. Of course, I want my work published one day, solely on the basis of merit.

SV: Shadows and dreams can be said to be the main topics of your haiku. How would you explain that?

RW: There is a fine line between the conscious and subconscious minds. Dreams and shadows are a bridge between the two.

SV: I‘d say that you are a real haiku master. How have you achieved that?

RW: Thank you, but I do not think of myself as a master. I am a haijin, a student and will always be. The day I think I have arrived is the day I will cease to grow as a poet and become a stagnant pond. Some poets rest on their laurels and only publish online what has already been published or has won an award. Reminds me of the famous rock and roll bands and singers who sing their old hits when performing in concert. They opt for SAFE versus risk-taking and growth. I post haiku, and tanka almost every day. Some are good and some are not. But, regardless, I am not afraid to put it all out there. It is through feedback that we grow.

SV: I've heard that a book of poetry you were co-working with Anita Virgil is now completed. Can you tell us something about that project?

RW: It is entitled Come Dance With Me. It is an exchange of poetry between myself and my dearest friend, Anita Virgil. The contents speak for themselves. There is nothing like it today in Japanese short form poetry.

SV: What is your opinion about the world haiku movement? Why is haiku so widely written all over the world, more than any other poetry genre?

RW: Haiku looks easy to write, or so many people and educators think. Andre Segovia once said, “The guitar is the easiest instrument to play and the hardest to play well.” The same goes for haiku. It is the easiest to write but the hardest to write well. The American haiku movement, vast and influential as it has grown to be, is not now what I would call dynamic. However, there are some examples of excellent poems coming from other parts of the world these days.

SV: What names can you select as especially successful haiku poets?

RW: Ikuyo Yoshimura, Anita Virgil, Michael McClintock, Andrew Riutta, Kathy Lippard-Cobb, Stanford M. Forrester, Al Pizzarelli, Sasa Vazic, Chibi, to name a few. They write beautifully and what they write is fresh and indelible.

SV: We come across a whole debate about what is and what is not haiku. There is much disagreement regarding haiku form, its content and poetic devices that may or may not be employed. Especially in America, there were a lot of discussions and efforts to make a definition of haiku for the West so that even a second committee was established by the HSA to come up with a new definition. Haiku – can it be defined? If yes, what would be your own definition?

RW: The HSA and other organizations have done a lot of study. So have the theorists who write books defining haiku and how to write haiku. Yet the haiku world now, as over the centuries, has been in disagreement as to what is and isn't a haiku. That is what has always started new schools of haiku, etc.! The answer lies in the accumulated fine and enduring haiku written through the centuries by the Japanese masters. To know what constitutes a true haiku, it is prudent to continue to study their works and read books written by Makoto Ueda, Donald Keene, Robert Brower and Earl Miner, and others who speak and write fluent Japanese and have studied the genre and related genres in depth.

SV: What we all have are classical examples in translation. It's a pity that most of us do not know Japanese so we must depend on those who have translated poems of great haiku masters. What do you think about this shortcoming? There are still debates about the meaning of some poems written by Basho and other masters. How can we ever be sure what those ancient poets had on their mind?

RW: You can't, but familiarity with a lot of their works can point to likely ‘meanings' one can deduce from knowing their views of life and their poetic theories. Study! There are wonderful scholars who have written valuable books. Unfortunately their works are rarely read outside academic circles. A lot of disagreement, unfortunately emanates from writings by pseudo-scholars who do not speak or write fluent Japanese and have a limited understanding of Japanese thought.

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Robert Wilson is the owner and managing Editor of Simply Haiku, a columnist for Teacher Librarian Magazine, the director of a community day school, and a poet. He lives in the Philippines and California, near Yosemite National Park.