Self-portrait
Maria Tomczak (born Maria Kowal, July 25, 1984, Tychy, Poland; until 2015 signed her work as Maria Kowal-Tomczak), haiku poet, writer, and digital artist. Her haiku, haiga, and renku have appeared in international publications including The Mainichi Haiku in English, Cattails, DailyHaiku, The Heron’s Nest, Frogpond, and Modern Haiku. She is the author of a chapbook, Looking Through the Keyhole: Haiku and Senryu (2016) and a fantasy novel, Armia cieni (Army of Shadows, 2022). Tomczak’s work has been recognized in international competitions including the Mainichi Contest (2010–2012), the Vladimir Devidé Haiku Award (2013), the Polish International Haiku Competition (2014, 2016, and 2022), and the International Matsuo Basho Award (Italy; 2016) as well as being shortlisted for the Touchstone Awards for Individual Poems (2015 and 2016). Her name was listed among the European Top 100 most creative haiku authors in 2010 through 2018. Tomczak was also cofounder and editor of Wild Plum—a haiku journal (2015–2017). She resides in Opole, Poland.
Note: This is an abstract of a longer biographical article to come.