Journal

Our journal is called Blithe Spirit, a name suggested by our first President, James Kirkup, as a tribute to the great British haiku scholar, R H Blyth, to imply the spirit in which we hope to go about our art, and to suggest that haiku belongs in the poetry world, with a gentle nod towards Shelley’s skylark. Each quarterly issue is normally of 64 pages and contains original poems, a diversity of statements about the writing and appreciation of haiku and related forms, book reviews, letters to the editor, and announcements of the winners of major awards, including the Museum of Haiku Literature Award (£50) for the haiku voted best in the previous issue. Cover dates are March, June, September and December, to some extent reflecting the season just ended, i.e. the March issue contains a section of winter haiku, etc.

Our editorial policy is to encourage new writing, value a diversity of approaches to haiku, and promote excellence. Members enjoy no automatic right to publication, however. Blithe Spirit is principally a membership magazine, but non-members may be invited to contribute as featured writers. The current Editor of Blithe Spirit is Colin Blundell. Submissions from members only should be sent to Colin at journal (a) britishhaikusociety . org . uk. All submissions should be original work, not previously published or under consideration elsewhere. Send a stamped self-addressed envelope or one IRC if you wish for a reply.