Biography:
Elizabeth St Jacques, Guest Editor
Born and raised in a small Northern Ontario town whose sole industry was a paper
mill, Elizabeth fell in love first with paper. At an early age, she had a
variety of blue, green, yellow, and pink sheets, all gifts from generous-hearted
mill cutters she had charmed after delivering hot lunches to the men in her
family each day. On these pretty papers her love for words found a home. By the
time she was fourteen, her words found other homes - in high school, radio
reports, annual yearbooks, and later, newspapers and small press journals.
In the late 1970s, she discovered haiku in a small press Canadian journal. It
was love at first sight. While several of her attempts were haiku, she was
informed that most were not. Persistent to learn, she discovered The Haiku
Society of America and Haiku Canada in 1988. Both groups opened the doors to her
better understanding and increased love of haiku. Because haiku became an
important part of her life, she was convinced another poetry form could never
excite her as much.
Then, in 1992, she came upon classical Korean sijo with how-to instructions for
a competition. When earning 2nd and 3rd place awards with her first attempts,
she became a confirmed sijo "addict." But she longed to know more
about this charming poetry form. With the help of sijo authority, Dr. Kim Unsong*,
who kindly guided and encouraged her through personal correspondence, her love
of sijo intensified. To help introduce sijo to other Western poets, her articles
began to appear in North American publications.
It wasn't until Dr. Larry Gross**, editor of HWUP! and TOP poetry
newsletters had accepted her sijo article that Elizabeth learned he too was
deeply interested in the form. In fact, he had already introduced sijo to his
readers in his publication as well as to readers in his excellent book, How
to Write and Publish Poetry. Elizabeth was impressed, also with his sijo
adaptations. They exchanged thoughts and ideas about sijo, sharing a concern
that most Western attempts at sijo seemed to miss important elements that
resulted in poems that didn't sound or feel like sijo at all. Therefore, they
established Western guidelines, and in 1996, Larry produced Sijo West -
the first North American journal dedicated solely to sijo. Elizabeth has served
as Associate Editor. since its inception.
By this time, Around the
Tree of Light, Elizabeth's collection of her own sijo that
included how-to instructions had been published in 1995. It is believed to be
the first collection of original English-language sijo published by a North
American poet. (Revised edition published in 1997)
Over the years, Elizabeth has remained active in promoting sijo internationally
and by working with and encouraging interested poets, primarily through Sijo
West and her website, that features the work of poets interested in a
variety of Asian forms. As the old saying goes, "the rest is history."
Elizabeth is the author of eight books. Her poetry, articles, reviews and
columns have appeared in numerous publications, including Amelia,
Canadian Author, Cicada, Frogpond,
Haiku Canada, The Alchemist, Raw
Nervz, HWUP, Sijo West, Modern
Haiku, Lynx,
Mirrors, Woodnotes, Brussels Sprout, still, New
Hope International, Wind Chimes, Albatross, Mainichi
Shimbun, This is Yomiuri, Our Family, Canadian Living, Canadian Book Review
Annual, Atlantic Today, Road Rider, Woman's World.
Her work appears in websites: WWW Haiku Anthology, World
Haiku Review, AHA!Poetry,
Haiga
Online, Haiku
Dreams, The Heron's
Nest, Paper
Lanterns, The
WORDshop, Chaba,
Sangeet's
Haiku & Poetry Corner, and others.
Anthologies that include her work are Haiku
sans frontières, edited by André Duhaime; Haiku
World (and) Haiku
Seasons, edited by William J. Higginson; Favorite
Haiku, edited by H.F. Noyes; Through
the Spirea, edited by Michael D. Welch; The Haiku Path, The
Haiku Society of America; and others.
Among her many awards are a top ten winner in People's Third Annual
International Haiku and Senryu Contest 2000; Editor's Choice Award, The
Heron's Nest, 2000; 2nd place in the 1999 Yuki Teikei Kiyoshi Tokutomi
Memorial Haiku Contest; 2nd Place in the 1998 National League of American Pen
Women's International Haiku Contest; 1st place in the 1997 Robert Frost Chapter;
California Federation of Chaparral Poets; 1st in the Haiku Society of America's
Merit Book Award for her collection, Dance
of Light, maplebud press, 1995; the Cicada Haiku Chapbook
Award for her collection, landings
soft, Amelia Press, 1994; the Cicada Award, four years in a
row (1990 to 1994), for her solo renga; the Museum of Haiku Literature Award for
collecting early colors, a renga with anne mckay, Frogpond,
Vol. XIII:2, 1990; and the Museum of Haiku Literature Award for her haiku
sequence, amish territory, Frogpond, Vol. XV:1, 1992.
Among competitions that Elizabeth has judged are the WHF2000
Haiku Poems Competition (co-judged); the 2000 Florida State Poetry
Association: sijo category; Arizona State Poetry Society: 1999 sijo category;
the 1999 Tallahassee Writers' Association Contest: haiku category; The 1998
People's Poetry International Haiku Contest (co-judged With George Swede); 1998
Florida State Poets Association: sijo category; Northern Ontario Poetry
Competition (1996 and 1997); Arizona State Poetry Society's 1992 Haiku Category;
The Haiku Society of America's 1991 Merit Book Awards (co-judged with Elizabeth
Searle Lamb). Initiating Canadian Writer's Journal's annual poetry competition
in 1993, she served as its judge from 1993 to 1997.
In the past, she has served as Poetry Editor of Canadian Writer's Journal (1993
to 1997); Contributing Editor, Small Press Review (1993 to 1997). Book reviewer
for Canadian Book Review Annual (1989 to1997), Canadian Author (1988 to 1994);
Freelance - Saskatchewan Writers Guild (1989 to 1992). Columnist with Canadian
Biker (1985), Canadian Writer's Journal (1990 to 1997), and Small
Press Review (1993 to 1997), including many other positions. She currently
serves as Associate Editor of Sijo
West, and Editor (Lightkeeper) and webmaster of her website, Poetry
In The Light.
Elizabeth and her husband make their home in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Canada.
Their two sons reside in British Columbia.
COLLECTIONS by Elizabeth St Jacques
echoes all strung out - Elizabeth's first haiku, illustrated by
the author. Maplebud Press, ISBN: 0-9693811-0-7. 48 pages, saddle stitched, soft
cover. $5. (Available)
landings soft - this collection of 37
haiku was the winner of the Cicada Haiku Chapbook Award, published by Amelia
Press, 1994. ISBN: 0-936545-21-6. 16 pages, saddle-stitched, soft cover,
author's photo on front cover. $5.ppd. Please note: due to the death of Fred
Raborg, the publisher, please order copies from the author ONLY at esj@sympatico.ca
(Available)
AROUND THE TREE OF LIGHT - the first
collection of original sijo in the English-language by a North American poet.
More than 60 sijo along with the history of sijo, instructions on how to write
this charming poetry form and the changes it is undergoing in the West. Lists
for further sijo reading, publications, and competitions. Maplebud Press,
1995/1997, ISBN: 0-9693811-2-3. 100 pages, perfect bound, soft cover. $14.
(Available)
____________________
The following collections are sold out but can be found in some libraries:
DANCE OF LIGHT - 150 haiku with
Foreword by Christopher Herold, former President of the Haiku Poets of Northern
California; artwork by Ruby Spriggs of Ottawa, Ontario. Winner of the 1995 Merit
Book Award, Haiku Society of America; Albatross Award, 1995 (Romania); and Small
Press Review's November "Pick" 1995. Maplebud Press, ISBN:
0-9693811-3. 124 pages, perfect bound, soft cover, photos.
curve of light -a mini collection of haiku published by Trabarni
Productions, Canada ISBN: 1-895666-10-4, 1993.
Silver Sigh & Shadows Blue - haiku and other poetry. M.O.
Publishing, USA, 1989
Diary of Thoughts - Carlton Press, Inc., USA, 1967
SURVIVORS: THE GREAT DEPRESSION (1929-1939) - maplebud press, 1991
ISBN:0-9693811-1-5. True experiences of those who survived one of the most
devastating periods in modern history. Researched for 4 ½ years. Stories of
anger, sorrow, courage and humor from Canada, USA, England, Greece and New
Zealand. Maplebud Press, 140 pages, photos, Glossary, index, spiral bound, soft
cover.
BROADSHEETS: (these are still available, each costing only a few cents!
Order from Dorothy Howard:
on a fair day -
a solo series of haiku - Haiku Canada
from now on (co-authored with Dorothy Howard) - a 100 link renga.
Proof Press, Canada
searching the shore (co-authored with Michael Dudley) - a renga.
Proof Press, Canada
gatherings (co-authored with Winona Baker) - a renga. Haiku Canada
On The Edge (a solo haiku folder) - available only from LeRoy
Gorman, editor & publisher, pawEpress.
ANTHOLOGIES PUBLISHED
AND/OR EDITED BY ELIZABETH ST JACQUES: (OUT OF PRINT but may be found in
some libraries)
Canadian Poets & Friends 1997, M.O. Publishing Company, USA
Canadian Poets & Friends 1998, Laurentian Valley Press, Canada
(0-932044-18-2)
Canadian Poets & Friends 1979, Laurentian Valley Press, Canada
(0709-3462)
Canadian Poets & Friends 1980, Laurentian Valley Press, Canada
(0709-3462)
Canadian Encounter 1981, Laurentian Valley Press, Canada (0228-6521) -
poetry, articles, reviews, etc.
* Dr. Kim
Unsong:
POET: AN INTERNATIONAL MONTHLY. Special issue devoted to 100
classical
Korean sijo, translated by Kim Unsong. March, 1986
CLASSICAL KOREAN POEMS (SIJO). Selected and translated by Kim
Unsong.
One Mind Press.
MODERN SIJO. English-language sijo by Kim Unsong. One Mind Press,
1995
SELECTED SIJO BY KOREAN POETS IN CHINA. Selected and translated by
Kim
Unsong. One Mind Press, 1997
For further information, contact Dr. Kim
Unsong
** Dr. Larry
Gross:
HOW TO WRITE AND PUBLISH POETRY by Larry Gross. A complete and
easy to
understand (and often humorous) instructional book on numerous poetry forms.
SIJO WEST. Larry Gross, Editor; Elizabeth St Jacques, Assoc.
Editor. North America's first journal devoted entirely to sijo. Back issues
available.
The
WORDshop. A lively and informative website that includes sijo and
other Asian forms. Larry Gross, Editor & Webmaster.
For further information, contact Larry Gross
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