M. R. Defibaugh (b. 1985) is a Virginia-based poet and haiku enthusiast whose work is influenced by love, loss, disability, and his compassion for others and the environment. His poetry is as matter-of-fact as it is romantic, employing imagery that is plain yet sometimes provocative. Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, he suffers from progressive muscle loss and relies on a wheelchair. He has degrees in mathematical sciences (BA, University of Illinois at Springfield) and operations management (MS, University of Arkansas). He has appeared in numerous journals and other publications, including Failed Haiku, Frogpond, Modern Haiku, Prune Juice, Stardust Haiku, Trash Panda, and Whiptail. Defibaugh is the co-creator and editor of the Tan-Renga/Tanka Chapbook Series. Starting in October 2022, a new chapbook of 24 collaborative 5-line poems will be made available for download on the first of each month. These books will feature some of the 700+ poems he has written with Malaysian poet Christina Chin. His first haiku-focused chapbook, the cuckoo always mid-song: haiku & haiga (2021), was done in collaboration with Michigan artist Penney L. Mellen and is available from Barnes & Noble Press.
Haiku & Senryu:
cherry blossoms
even under
quarantine
The Haiku Foundation, Haiku Dialogue
The Haiku Mind-Signs of Spring, April 2020
the poor judgment
ignored by smiling
bridesmaids…
Frogpond 43.3, Fall 2020
the mess made
by the leaves and
in the highchair
Modern Haiku 51.3, Fall 2020
louder after she left the rain
Modern Haiku 52.1, Winter 2021
wind chimes
making all the noise
40th anniversary
Modern Haiku 52.2, Summer 2021
arrowroot
being heartbroken
grows on you
Frogpond 44.2, Spring/Summer 2021
showing off
his cicada shell
. . . first crush
Stardust Haiku, Issue 66
standing water
in the schoolyard
teacher's reflection
Trash Panda, Summer 2022
rising tide is it possible to love them both
Whiptail Issue 4, August 2022
spring cleaning
my youngest nephew
tries on a rug
Cattails, October 2022
Books:
Honors:
Honorable Mention, The Haiku Foundation Monthly Kukai, July 2021
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/mrdefibaugh
https://ko-fi.com/s/0f986abc30
https://ko-fi.com/mrdefibaugh
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-cuckoo-always-mid-song-m-r-defibaugh/1140494046
https://anchor.fm/culinarysaijiki/episodes/Matt-Defibaugh-On-Sorghum-Stilts-e1ndgda/a-a8ftfuo
https://thehaikufoundation.org/poet-details/?IDclient=2654
No comments:
Post a Comment