Bookmarks: Haiku and Senryu

by Kelly Sargent

From the ephemeral dance of campfire sparks to the bittersweet memories of first love, building a family, and grieving losses, a collection of evocative poems captures the essence of life's most poignant moments. Each haiku and senryu unveils a unique glimpse into the interconnectedness of the world.

66 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2023

About the author

A hearing impaired author and artist born and adopted in Luxembourg, Kelly Sargent has written for SIGNews, a newspaper for the Deaf and HOH community, and worked with Deaf students in education. She currently serves as Creative Nonfiction Editor of The Bookends Review and on the Editorial Board of Beyond Words. She is the author of an award-nominated memoir in verse entitled Seeing Voices: Poetry in Motion, in which she reflects on her experiences growing up with a deaf twin sister in Europe and the United States.

Links to several book reviews appear on her book page at Kelsay Books:
https://kelsaybooks.com/products/seei...

Seeing Voices: Poetry in Motion can also be found at RIT in Rochester, New York in the poetry section of the university’s library.

A second memoir in verse entitled Echoes in My Eyes was published by Kelsay Books in March 2024.

She is also the author of a collection of modern haiku and senryu poems entitled Bookmarks (Red Moon Press, 2023). Short form poetry honors include: The Haiku Foundation Touchstone Award for Individual Poems 2022 and 2023 (Nominations); The H. Gene Murtha Memorial Senryu Contest 2023 (Honorable Mention); Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Haiku Competition 2023 (Honorable Mention); Golden Haiku Poetry Contest 2022 (Recognition); The Heron’s Nest Readers' Choice Awards 2022 (Special Mention); and The Mukai Haiku Festival Poetry Competition 2023 (Winner, Nature category). Her Poet Profile at The Haiku Foundation appears here: https://thehaikufoundation.org/poet-d...

Other cover art and poems have appeared or are forthcoming in more than eighty literary publications in the United States and abroad, most recently including Rattle, Chestnut Review, and Broad River Review. Honors include: The Ron Rash Award in Poetry 2023 (Finalist); Eric Hoffer Award 2022 (Nomination); and Best of the Net 2021 and 2023 (Nominations).

She is also the author of a children’s storybook entitled Sundae Sundays, Winner of the 2023 Firebird Book Award (Children’s Inspirational).

Watch Storytime Pup Kids Books Read Aloud - Sundae Sundays here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTaUO...

Reviews

[Richard Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book of haiku by Kelly Barnes Sargent is a showcase in the art of subtlety whilst dealing with the joys and wonders, and the sorrows and hardships of life. Preceded by a very personal and enlightening introduction of how Kelly and her twin sister experienced the world and shared their own language which has influenced her life ever since, the poems are oft-times delicate and tender, and at other times raw and running thick with emotion. Kelly is great at picking up the nuances of life, running them through her careful fingers, and placing them back down on the table beneath a new light for the reader to examine again. Here's a few of my favourite poems from the book:

moonlight
through the kitchen window...
sipping warm milk

mourning doves recalling our swan song

without
my consent
pond reflection