Red for Kanreki: Haikus

What cooks in Red for Kanreki are the simmering haikus sizzling like elemental components in the aurora borealis. Somewhere Bashō blushes as Yoshida exposes contrapuntal after contrapuntal, haunting the page like an obstreperous lover. These plush haikus are earthy, loud, hyacinths-of-language clinging to the ear from an unveiled voice—ready to receive something real.
—Curtis L. Crisler, Indiana Poet Laureate, and author of Doing Drive-Bys on How to Love in the Midwest

Hiromi Yoshida cultivates a classical form to make it hers. She intertwines traditional themes of nature with pointed contemporary commentary. Gravity, Daylight Saving Time, Rush Limbaugh, and bibimbap are among the shoots in her haiku bamboo garden.
—JL Kato, 2022 Indiana Literary Champion, and author of Shadows Set in Concrete

Hiromi Yoshida racks up more haijin (俳人) cred with her new book of haiku, Red for Kanreki, tackling contemporary concerns both personal and global. Still firmly rooted in the American English 5-7-5 tradition, her haiku frequently break the familiar formula of simplicity and deep focus on simple moments in nature. Her playful enjambment wraps around vignettes of daily life as well as reflections on society, paeans to the Beats, and digs at political dorks. Red for Kanreki contains a multiverse of experience in many marvelous small packages.
—Tony Brewer, 2024 Indiana Literary Champion, and author of Water Witch