2025 Memorial Reading
“The highest tribute to the dead is not grief but gratitude.” —Thornton Wilder
A key event at each Haiku North America conference is a memorial reading that recognizes haiku-related poets, scholars, and translators who have died since our previous conference, which ended on July 2, 2023. We plan to honor the following people at the 2025 HNA conference in San Franciso in September of 2025. To help us with missing names, dates, or other data, please contact the 2025 memorial reading coordinators, Bruce Feingold and Beverly Acuff Momoi, at [email protected]. For each poet we seek a name, birth/death dates, location (where the person primarily lived when they passed away), one or more photos, and several sample poems (especially any jisei, or death haiku, written just before dying). Links to obituaries and other information are also welcome. Our ongoing condolences to all the family and friends of the deceased.
Poets are listed by death date (most recent last). Please help us by providing missing data—thank you. Names in red need information to be supplied or confirmed, so please help us out if you can, or let us know who might help.
Gary L. Brower
July 30, 1941 – June 13, 2023
Placitas, New Mexico
(was not recognized in our 2023 memorial reading)
Linda Burman-Hall
April 1, 1945 – August 21, 2023
Santa Cruz, California
Mary Lou Bittle-DeLapa
August 15, 1949 – August 29, 2023
Rochester, New York
Bob Redmond
April 5, 1966 – September 12, 2023
Burien, Washington
Maxine Grodjinsky
February 1, 1945 – October 4, 2023
San Francisco, California
Richard Stevenson
March 4, 1952 – October 18, 2023
Victoria, British Columbia
Raffael de Gruttola
May 15, 1935 – November 22, 2023
Natick, Massachusetts
Kate B. Hall
June 22, 1945 – November 29, 2023
London, England
Merrill Ann Gonzales
June 30, 1938 – December 13, 2023
Dayville, Connecticut
Adjei Agyei-Baah
June 29, 1977 – December 18, 2023
Waikato, New Zealand
(previously of Kumasi, Ghana)
Eleanor Carolan
September 29, 1939 – December 19, 2023
Felton, California
Joyce Walker Currier
January 8, 1932 – January 23, 2024
Location?, Illinois
Stuart Allen Bartow, Jr.
March 17, 1951 – January 23, 2024
Salem, New York
Chris Boultwood
May 22, 1952 – January 13, 2024
Chester, England
N. Scott Momaday
February 27, 1934 – January 24, 2024
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Susumu Tabata
December 9, 1925 – February 5, 2024
Gabriola Island, British Columbia
Brendon Kent
February 1, 1958 – February 24, 2024
Southampton, England
George Dorsty
August 31, 1943 – March 10, 2024
Yorktown, Virginia
Susan M. Callan
April 12, 1940 – June 2, 2024
Bainbridge Island, Washington
Harold Wright
June 6, 1931 – July 4, 2024
Yellow Springs, Ohio
Deborah P Kolodji
August 11, 1959 – July 21, 2024
Temple City, California
June Hopper Hymas
September 14, 1935 – July 24, 2024
Eagle, Idaho
Cor van den Heuvel
March 6, 1931 – September 12, 2024
Long Island, New York
Daniel Birnbaum
September 23, 1953 – September 21, 2024
Location?, France
Robert Rotella
date of birth? – October ?, 2024
Greensboro?, North Carolina
Gabriel Sawicki
September 23, 1983 – November 17?, 2024
Wroclaw, Poland
Poets are listed by death date (most recent last). Please help us by providing missing data—thank you. Names in red need information to be supplied or confirmed, so please help us out if you can, or let us know who might help.
Gary L. Brower
July 30, 1941 – June 13, 2023
Placitas, New Mexico
(was not recognized in our 2023 memorial reading)
Linda Burman-Hall
April 1, 1945 – August 21, 2023
Santa Cruz, California
Mary Lou Bittle-DeLapa
August 15, 1949 – August 29, 2023
Rochester, New York
Bob Redmond
April 5, 1966 – September 12, 2023
Burien, Washington
Maxine Grodjinsky
February 1, 1945 – October 4, 2023
San Francisco, California
Richard Stevenson
March 4, 1952 – October 18, 2023
Victoria, British Columbia
Raffael de Gruttola
May 15, 1935 – November 22, 2023
Natick, Massachusetts
Kate B. Hall
June 22, 1945 – November 29, 2023
London, England
Merrill Ann Gonzales
June 30, 1938 – December 13, 2023
Dayville, Connecticut
Adjei Agyei-Baah
June 29, 1977 – December 18, 2023
Waikato, New Zealand
(previously of Kumasi, Ghana)
Eleanor Carolan
September 29, 1939 – December 19, 2023
Felton, California
Joyce Walker Currier
January 8, 1932 – January 23, 2024
Location?, Illinois
Stuart Allen Bartow, Jr.
March 17, 1951 – January 23, 2024
Salem, New York
Chris Boultwood
May 22, 1952 – January 13, 2024
Chester, England
N. Scott Momaday
February 27, 1934 – January 24, 2024
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Susumu Tabata
December 9, 1925 – February 5, 2024
Gabriola Island, British Columbia
Brendon Kent
February 1, 1958 – February 24, 2024
Southampton, England
George Dorsty
August 31, 1943 – March 10, 2024
Yorktown, Virginia
Susan M. Callan
April 12, 1940 – June 2, 2024
Bainbridge Island, Washington
Harold Wright
June 6, 1931 – July 4, 2024
Yellow Springs, Ohio
Deborah P Kolodji
August 11, 1959 – July 21, 2024
Temple City, California
June Hopper Hymas
September 14, 1935 – July 24, 2024
Eagle, Idaho
Cor van den Heuvel
March 6, 1931 – September 12, 2024
Long Island, New York
Daniel Birnbaum
September 23, 1953 – September 21, 2024
Location?, France
Robert Rotella
date of birth? – October ?, 2024
Greensboro?, North Carolina
Gabriel Sawicki
September 23, 1983 – November 17?, 2024
Wroclaw, Poland
