Mission Statement:
We seek to encourage excellence, experimentation and education within haiku and its related genres. We believe this is best accomplished by example and not imitation. Our aim is for authenticity above all else. We therefore solicit your finest examples of Japanese short form poetry and hope to "hear" your voices speak.
____________
Nothing remains the same. Recent developments at Notes from the Gean are testament to that. In a world where change is the only constant it is my belief that adaptability is of paramount import. You will, therefore, note the slight change to NFTG’s mission statement: we still seek to encourage excellence, experimentation and education, the three Es, but I believe we must look further than just the online haiku community for this; a small change perhaps but a very significant one, which is a signal of our intent to bring haiku to a wider audience.
Within English-language haiku (ELH) the debate is becoming increasingly polarised with both editors and writers advocating either this style of writing or that. It is my belief that while we owe a massive debt to Japan, ELH should and must now grow into full maturity and no longer look over its shoulder. We could all continue to write pretty images about cherry trees or we could reach deeper into our own experience and produce works which are both authentic and relevant for a wider reading public and our literary peers. I believe that if we do not do this then we are all in danger of settling for a comfort zone in ELH and will not develop into the fullness of what we can be as writers. Without being directive I will be advocating the advancement of the three Es of our mission.
As a writer I try to give voice to my own experience and as an editor I aim to allow other writers the same opportunity. It is not my job to proscribe or put restrictions on writers, but rather give writers a platform for their voice to be heard and let them take ELH to wherever it may go.
____________
Colin Stewart Jones
Editor-in-Chief