Lee Gurga Explained

Lee Gurga (born July 28, 1949 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American haiku poet. In 1997 he served as president of the Haiku Society of America.^[1] He was the editor of Modern Haiku magazine from 2002 to 2006, and is the current editor of the Modern Haiku Press. Gurga lives in Lincoln, Illinois, where he works as a dentist.^{[2] [3]} Also involved in the translation of Japanese haiku into English, Gurga cites Matsuo Bashō, a Japanese poet from the Edo period, as one of his main appreciations.^[4] One of his most known haiku is about graduation day for students and is presented in his book Haiku: A Poet's Guide.^[5]

Background

Born in Chicago, Gurga attended the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. He first became interested in haiku during his high school years after reading a haiku translation book by Reginald Horace Blyth. He started his own haiku writing after that, focusing on Midwest imagery and scenery for his topics.^[6]

Bibliography

• The Measure of Emptiness (Press Here, 1991)
• In and Out of Fog (Press Here, 1997)
• Fresh Scent (Brooks Books, 1998)^[6]
• Haiku: A Poet's Guide (Modern Haiku Press, 2003)^[6]
• Autumn Mosquito (2005)^[6]

Further reading

• News: Contemporary haiku brings dentist to Decatur . David Burke . . January 27, 1999 . April 14, 2012.
• News: Haiku headline/short, to point/please read Devotees take poetry form seriously . Kristen Go . . July 5, 1997 . April 14, 2012.

Notes and References

1. News: To a Haiku Writer, Spam Is Poetry in a Can . Matthew Mirapaul . . November 12, 1998 . April 14, 2012.
2. Web site: Apple Dental Center - About Us . 2009-11-02 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081120125805/http://www.appledental-lincoln.com/about.html . 2008-11-20 .
3. News: Dentist from rural Illinois writes Japanese-style poetry two years in a row, his haiku have won top American prizes . Staff writer . Staff writer . . September 5, 2000 . April 14, 2012.
4. News: In our high-stress culture, haiku emerges as popular form of expression . Diane Toroian . https://web.archive.org/web/20160409132225/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-120219721.html . dead . April 9, 2016 . . July 19, 2002 . April 14, 2012. subscription .
5. News: Teaching Richard Wright's Haiku in Japan . Toru Kiuchi . https://web.archive.org/web/20141001033741/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-214602941.html . dead . October 1, 2014 . The Black Scholar . March 22, 2009 . April 14, 2012. subscription .
6. Book: Heuvel, Cor Van Den . Baseball Haiku: American and Japanese Haiku and Senryu on Baseball . Cor van den Heuvel . 2007 . . 9780393066388. 70–73 . April 15, 2012.