I took over as co-editor of Presence Haiku Journal recently, along with James Roderick Burns and Becky Dwyer who are, like me, members of Edinburgh Haiku Circle.

Our first issue (#82) appeared at the end of July, and we’re currently open for submissions for #83 – until the end of September, with the magazine due out towards the end of November.

We’ve changed a few things, but kept a lot the same, including the sequence of the contents – starting with tanka, having the haiku in seasonal sections (concluding with a no-season section) and interspersing these with haibun. The magazine closes with an essay and a substantial Reviews section, and we’re grateful for the continuing work of Judy Kendall and Julie Mellor in commissioning and compiling these.

Matthew Paul continues to manage the website.

As for the changes, we’re delighted that Barrie Tullett has brought his designer’s eye to bear on the parts and the whole. We’ve reduced the number of poems we publish too, so that those we do select are given more room on the page.

And Sean O’Connor will join us from #83 as Haibun Editor.

You can buy individual copies or take out an annual subscription (which buys you three copies) here.