The 24th Annual Autumn Haiku Festival will be held on November 13-14, 2020, at the Arlington Hotel. There will be two famous haiku poets as distinguished speakers: Lee Gurga and John Stevenson. Both have served as president of the premier organization – The Haiku Society of America (HSA). www.hsa-haiku.org.
The festival is hosted by the Arkansas Haiku Society founded in 1997, in the living room of former Arkansas Poet Laureate Verna Lee Hinegardner.
Dr. Paul Tucker served as President until September 2017. Howard Lee Kilby, the former National Secretary for the HSA, was co-founder along with Paul and Suzanne Tucker, June Simmons, Melinda Herr-Chambliss and others. There is no charge to attend the festival based on the premise that the best things in life are free. This festival is supported by talented people across the country who enjoy haiku. Kilby writes a haiku column for Ouachita Life, a free news magazine available at several locations, including the Garland County Library. The column has haiku contests with cash prizes. For more information, email: hkilby@hotmail.com using HAIKU CONTEST in the subject line, or call 501-767-6096.
