Clark State Community College Professor Chris Bays has been honored for his poem “Brambles,” which took first place in a national poetry contest sponsored by the Haiku Society of America for Best Unpublished Haibun of 2020 and for his poems “Lingering Darkness” and “Regimented”, which were selected by Sean O’Connor and a board of editors for The Haibun Journal of Ireland for 2020-2021. The Haibun Journal archives all published work in The National Archive, Trinity College Dublin, Oxford, Cambridge, and Edinburgh Universities of England.
The haibun, a hybrid form, combines genres – such as the essay, free verse or prose poetry – with haiku. It has a tradition spanning from the 17th century to modern times and includes poets Matsuo Basho of Japan and Pulitzer Prize winners John Ashbery and Robert Hass of the United States. Its flexible form allows for collage, blurring the lines between poetry, storytelling, and essay writing.
“I was delighted to win Best Unpublished Haibun of 2020 because I did not expect to win this prize again since winning it back in 2017,” said Bays, adding, “These poems will find themselves into Edge of Suburbia, a book that I have renamed multiple times as I have expanded my focus from portraying children of war to larger concerns plaguing our society, such as racism, addiction and environmental catastrophes.”
Bays is no stranger to recognition for his work. In 2018 his poem “Waiting for Christmas in Ohio” won a Cottage Prize in the Genjuan International Haibun Contest in Kyoto, Japan. In 2016, his senryu “”casket catalogue” received special mention, as it was short-listed to the Top 10 out of 436 entries for the British Haiku Awards, which included poets from around the world. His work has been anthologized nationally and internationally.
Born in Germany to an American military father and a German mother, Bays’ first language was German. He went to Berea College in Kentucky with a double major in German and English; he earned his master’s degree at Wright State University in English and TESOL.
Bays has been teaching Creative Writing at Clark State for 15 years. His class focuses on short stories, poetry and plays. “I enjoy teaching students how to write because I know how important writing will be in their lives,” he said. “Writing will help them to gain access to higher-paying jobs, reveal to them various pathways to creativity and analytical thinking and open channels of communication to diverse people that they will work with or befriend--often from afar through the internet.”
To read his winning poem “Brambles” and comments from the judges, visit: https://www.hsa-haiku.org/haibunawards/haibun-2020.htm