Sophomore Named Grand Prize Winner in International Haiku Competition
Sophomore Named Grand Prize Winner in International Haiku Competition
Sophomore Jolin Chan was recently named the Grand Prize Winner in this year’s International Kusamakura Haiku Competition.
Chan previously had a haiku published in Frogpond magazine in September. She entered two new haiku into the Kusamakura competition, and she’ll receive prize money of $30,000 yen (about $265 USD).
She has also been invited to attend to the awards ceremony on November 17 in Kumamoto, Japan, and her work will be published on the Kusamakara website.
“Jolin is a very special student. She has a great eye and is adept at capturing the images she finds in the natural world in compelling language,” English teacher Arlie Parker said. “Jolin is continuing to pursue haiku and her accomplishments serve as a great example for our community.”
Chan said she was pretty surprised when she got the phone call announcing her win.
“As a high school student, I didn’t expect to win, especially when competing with other haiku writers who have much more experience,” Chan said. “I’m definitely going to attend the awards ceremony — it’s a great honor and I love visiting Japan!”
She said she is drawn to poetry, especially haiku, as a favorite form of writing, but she also enjoys writing critical essays.
“I actually didn’t discover my passion for writing until I came to Sage,” she said. “By working with my teachers, I was able to develop my newfound interest in English.”
She also gave credit to her Sage Hill English teachers for helping her with this latest accomplishment.
“I want to thank Mr. Parker and Mrs. Lyons for being such encouraging and supportive teachers!” Chan said.
Sage Hill School
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