The annual Marlene Mountain Memorial Haiku Contest, based in the United States, was inaugurated in 2018 as a feature of #FemkuMag: an e-zine of haikai poetry by womxn and non-binary folkx and conducted by Rowan Beckett (formerly known as Lori A Minor and Lithica Ann), its founding editor. The contest commemorates the work of Marlene Mountain (1939–2018), a pioneering artist and haikai poet known for her innovative political and feminist poems, particularly one-line haiku (monoku).
Contest Guidelines
The annual Marlene Mountain Memorial Haiku Contest, begun in 2018 by Lithica Ann (deadname: Lori A Minor), is open, as stated on the contest website, ”to all womxn, including non-binary and transwomxn, of any age or nationality.” Submissions have been accepted during a two-week period in June or July each year.
Submissions may consist of up to two one-line haiku (monoku) in English, not previously published in any print or electronic form, including social media, nor under consideration in any other contest. There is no charge to enter the contest. Judging is double-blind.
Entries should embrace the creative spirit of Marlene Mountain. Prospective contestants are directed to the Marlene Mountain website: http://www.marlenemountain.org/ for examples of monoku.
Winners are notified as soon as judging is complete and are published in the July issue of #FemkuMag. First-, second-, and third-place haiku also receive commentary. Honorable mentions will be selected at the judge’s discretion. All winners receive certificates.
Full details and official contest guidelines can be found on the #FemkuMag Contest webpage.
2022 Marlene Mountain Memorial Haiku Contest
| Judge | Lithica Ann | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| Comment and contest results | To be posted in a later issue of #FemkuMag | |
| First Place | Lorraine Padden | maidenhair ferns he hides the condom |
| Second Place | Laurie Greer | Roe v Wade the right not to bear |
| Third Place | Tracy Davidson | schrodinger’s womxn knowing and unknowing our place |
| Honorable Mention (3) | Barrie Levine | (r)aging |
| Cynthia Anderson | where polliwogs used to be the neighborhood | |
Susan Burch | date rape a pocket full of posies |
2021 Marlene Mountain Memorial Haiku Contest
| Judges | Lori A Minor and Tia Haynes | |
| Number of entries | Not stated | |
| Comments and contest results | Posted on the Web in #FemkuMag 30 (July 2021) | |
| First Place | Pris Campbell | pigtails his whore |
| Second Place | Debbie Strange | Fata Morgana the (in)visibility of my (dis)ability |
| Third Place | Roberta Beach Jacobson | refusing to shut manhole |
| Honorable Mention (5) | Cynthia Anderson | the trigger more than half-cocked Father’s Day |
| Cynthia Anderson | post-COVID camping the tents of the homeless | |
| Jennifer Hambrick | pathology ruling out the c-word | |
| Julie Bloss Kelsey | free will to do what I say bully pulpit | |
Carmela Marino | its virginity in the beak of a raven cherries |
2020 Marlene Mountain Memorial Haiku Contest
| Judges | Lori A Minor and Tia Haynes | |
| Number of entries | Just under 200 | |
| Comments and contest results | PDF available on the #FemkuMag contest website | |
| First Place | Laurie Greer | never just (m)asking |
| Second Place | Robin Anna Smith | when pronouns fail the future of protostars |
| Third Place | Tracy Davidson | under curfew he lights up another protestor |
| Honorable Mention (3) | Julie Warther | buzzards caught in the current newsfeed |
| Raquel Bailey | coitus under a naked sky the scent of cannabis | |
| Julie Bloss Kelsey | marching to a new beatdown |
2019 Marlene Mountain Memorial Haiku Contest
| Judges | Lori A Minor and Tia Haynes | |
| Number of entries | 186 | |
| Comments and contest results | PDF available on the #FemkuMag contest website | |
| First Place | Roberta Beach Jacobson | mansplaining the rape field |
| Second Place | Susan Mallernee | saving herself for nothing special— old lace |
| Third Place | Martha Magenta | bipolar mother’s monochrome smile |
| Honorable Mention (3) | Debbie Strange | hot (fl)ashes the combustibility of womxn’s rights |
| Benedicta Gyepi-Garbrah | porn punk all the positions I should fit in | |
| Robin Anna Smith |  |
2018 Marlene Mountain Memorial Haiku Contest
Judge | Lori A Minor | |
| Number of entries | 100 | |
| Comments and contest results | PDF available on the #FemkuMag contest website | |
| First Place | Julie Bloss Kelsey | stripping away the patriarchy naked Barbies |
| Second Place | Susan Burch | blood moon he doesn’t take no for an answer |
| Third Place | Roberta Beary | gender roles blend mix stir repeat |
| Honorable Mention (3) | Robin Smith | weeping cherry he tells me I’m mature for my age |
| Tia Haynes | valentine’s day I break out a fresh razor | |
| Vandana Parashar | new moon my hand moves over where once my breast was |
Sources / Further Reading
#FemkuMag website: https://femkumag.wixsite.com/home/contest
Related Haikupedia Articles
#FemkuMag
Marlene Mountain