Self-portrait
Vidya Premkumar (born September 6, 1976, Mumbai, India), Indian poet, educator, and entrepreneur. Formerly head of the Department of English at Mithibai College, Mumbai, she is the founder of Jñāna Vistar, an educational initiative focused on holistic skill development. She composes haiku, senryu, haibun, found poetry, and free verse. Her work has appeared in journals including Contemporary Haibun Online, Dadakuku, Failed Haiku, FreshOut Mag, Sonic Boom, and The Pan Haiku Review. Her haibun “Room 19” was anthologized in Red Moon Press’s Contemporary Haibun 20 (2024). A chapbook Frame Story (2024) features autobiographical Japanese short-form poetry, while her remixed poetry collection, The Silent Project: Forged on the Anvil of Kashmir (2025) draws inspiration from that region of India. Premkumar was named a Confluence Fellow for 2025–2026 and took over as The Haiku Foundation Digital Librarian in early 2026. She currently resides in Wayanad, Kerala, India.
Note: This is an abstract of a longer biographical article to come.