Annandale Campus Library Annual Haiku Contest, Starting April 1

National Poetry Month begins Thursday, April 1. No fooling. That means it’s time for the Annandale Campus Library’s annual book spine haiku contest for students, faculty, and staff. This is the fourth year of the contest and like last year will be virtual. Normally, poets would browse the shelves in the Annandale Campus Library to find three books with titles that when stacked together would create a haiku poem.

This year’s titles will have to be discovered using the NOVA Libraries’ Books and eBooks search on the Libraries’ Website. Poems may be entered beginning April 1 until 5 p.m. on April 21. Prizes are awarded for Best Student, Best Faculty/Staff and People’s Choice. People’s Choice voting will be open April 22 through April 28. Full contest rules with access to the entry form are available here.

Japanese haiku, both traditional and modern, usually center on nature or seasonal themes. Traditional Japanese Haiku also follow a three-line format with the first and third lines consisting of five syllables each and the second line being seven syllables. This format is encouraged but not necessary to enter the contest.

Questions can be directed to Kevin Simons, Instruction Librarian at the Annandale Campus.

Submitted by:
Kevin Simons, ksimons@nvcc.edu