Honorary Curator William J. Higginson
William J. Higginson
Honorary Curator, 2003-2004
Special Announcement
We are saddened to report that William J. Higginson passed away at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday, October 11, 2008, in New Jersey.
He was born in New York City in 1938, and was in his 70th year. Bill had asked to write his own biography for this page, which he was working on, and now that will not happen. We will add biographical information, sample poems, and other links to this page as soon as we can.
Bill’s contribution and dedication to haiku poetry over many decades was second to none. His books and essays about haiku have influenced students, teachers, and generations of poets writing haiku in English, and he will surely be revered by the haiku community on a par with Harold Henderson and R. H. Blyth.
The American Haiku Archives advisory board joins together in offering condolences to Bill’s family, especially to his beloved wife, Penny Harter.
Selected Haiku by William J. Higginson
The following poems by Bill Higginson are arranged loosely in chronological order, and span almost forty years, from 1969 to 2008. Also included are two sets of poems (not sequenced by Bill) on the themes of books & writing, and on aging. Not only was Bill a revered scholar and translator of haiku poetry, as well as an enthusiastic advocate for the genre, he was also an accomplished haiku poet himself.
A wet night
garbage cans all full
but the far one
The clock
chimes chimes and stops
but the river . . .
Holding the water
held by it—
the dark mud.
caterpillar
atop the rock
the rising tide
evening star
almost within
the moon’s half curve
this spring rain
the thief too
curses his job
grey dawn
ice on the seats
of the rowboat
the tick, tick
of snow on the reeds . . .
sparrow tracks
New Year’s Eve . . .
thieves have left my car open
in the falling snow
commercial break—
the cat and I
head for the kitchen
the fence post
hangs upright in the washout—
mid-summer heat
going over a bump
the car ahead
going over a bump
the old cat
hesitates on the doorsill—
a falling leaf
summer storm . . .
a shopping cart rolls past
the end of the lot
winter twilight
only a few old bakers
in the potato bin
crescent moon
would I look at the clouds
without it?
origami frog:
what old pond is he hoping
to find in the dusk?
Books and Writing
I look up
from writing
to daylight.
writing again
the tea water
boiled dry
reading renku—
every stanza links with
the midwinter cricket
thankful for
the books just received . . .
snow piling up
musty smell
forgotten . . . deep
into the text
spring rain
rereading my own book
I fall asleep
Aging
Christmas concert
I sit in the seat of my
hospitalized friend
misty rain—
dry pavement under
the ambulance
fireworks crashing
and fireflies so silent . . .
tomorrow the biopsy
one maple leaf . . .
end over end on the sand
without a trace
Links
On February 10, 2010, Bill Higginson's web site materials was been moved to:
An announcement from Penny Harter about Bill’s passing, along with commentary and tributes, appears at
http://tobaccoroadpoet.blogspot.com/2008/10/bill-higginson-has-died.html
Additional tributes appear at
http://www.haikuoz.org/2008/10/tributes_to_william_j_higginso.html
http://ackworthborn.blogspot.com/2008/10/holding-water-held-by-it-dark-mud.html
A short biography and extensive bibliography are available at
http://renku.home.att.net/bios.html#Higginson
Another short biography with sample poems is available at
http://www.haiku-hia.com/rireki_higginson_en.html
An interview with Bill by Amazon.com appears at
http://renku.home.att.net/WJH-Amazon_com_Interview.html
Millikin University maintains a writer profile on Bill, with reader response essays, at
http://www.millikin.edu/haiku/writerprofiles/WilliamHigginson.html
If you know of other links we could add, please let us know.
Books by William J. Higginson
Higginson, William J. & Michael Lustbader. Butterfly Dreams: The Seasons Through Haiku and Photographs. Aliquippa, PA: Natural Tapestries Publishing, 2006. [CD of photographs by Lustbader paired with Japanese haiku translated by Higginson, 210 pages.] Web samples available at:
http://fhp.2hweb.net/scrapbook_bd/contents.html
Higginson, William J. Cycling Paterson: A Haiku/Senryu Sequence. Los Angeles, CA: Seer Ox, 1974. Signed.
Higginson, William J. Death Is & Approaches to the Edge. Fanwood, NJ: From Here Press, 1981.
Higginson, William J. Eastre. Paterson, NJ: From Here Press, 1975.
Higginson, William J. 4 Sequences. Summit, NJ: From Here Press, 2007. Broadside.
Higginson, William J. Haiku Compass: Directions in the Poetical Map of the United States of America. Tokyo: Haiku International Association, 1994.
Higginson, William J. The Haiku Handbook: How to Write, Share, and Teach Haiku. New York: Kodansha International, 1985.
Higginson, William J. The Haiku Seasons: Poetry of the Natural World. New York: Kodansha International, 1996.
Higginson, William J. Haiku World: An International Poetry Almanac. New York: Kodansha International, 1996.
Higginson, William J. Itadakimasu: Essays on Haiku and Senryu in English. Kanona, NY: J & C Transcripts, 1971.
Higginson, William J. with Penny Harter. Met on the Road: A Transcontinental Haiku Journal. Foster City, CA: Press Here, 1993.
Higginson, William J. One-Line Haiku: Misunderstandings and Possibilities. Paterson, NJ: From Here Press, 1982. Article reprint.
Higginson, William J. Patterson Pieces: Poems 1969-1979. Fanwood, NJ: From Here Press, 1981.
Higginson, William J. & Penny Harter. A Summer Surgery & Waiting. Summit, NJ: From Here Press, 1981.
Higginson, William J., Editor. Wind in the Long Grass: A Collection of Haiku. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991.
