Hello, fellow haijin and haiku aficionados!

May is underway! It’s been unseasonably cool here, but I’ll take a little weather reprieve before summer kicks into high gear. My favorite time of year is coming up, and there’s lots to prepare. Read on for some updates on the anthology, Haiku Girl Summer, and the press generally.

Anthology Update

1. I’ve set our publication date as Sunday, July 21st, 2026. That’s the date of the summer solstice (or winter solstice for our Southern Hemisphere friends). Whether you consider the solstice the start of the season or the midpoint of the season, it’s something we all experience. With contributors from all around the world, picking a universal seasonal marker felt right.

2. Sangita Kalarickal is helping with final editing and proofreading, and I’m researching best practices for IngramSpark in order to make the publishing process as smooth as possible.

Haiku Girl Summer Update

1. We filled our guest editor slots four days after I put out the call for 2026! The schedule has been posted; visit www.haikugirlsummer.com to see this year’s lineup.

2. I would like to welcome Richa Sharma to the 9 Square Press team. Richa will be serving as the editorial assistant for Haiku Girl Summer this year (and hopefully beyond!)

General Press Updates

1. 9 Square Press is on YouTube! You can view the channel here. I’m very much a beginner so my first five videos are pretty rough, but I’m learning more with each upload.

2. I’ve hired a proper logo designer, so soon the visual emblem for the press will be something nicer than what I managed to cobble together on Canva.

I hope you have some wonderful haiku moments this month.

Cheers,

Allyson