Bio

Hello! My name is Jacob. I've been writing haiku and related forms since 2006, when I took a haiku class at The Evergreen State College: The Way of Haiku and Haibun taught by Kate Crow. Since that time, I've published haiku, tanka, and haibun in journals such as Frogpond, The Heron's Nest, Chrysanthemum, Atlas Poetica, Ribbons, Drifting-Sands-Haibun.org and Contemporary Haibun Online. I've published 4 collections of haiku, 1 collection of tanka, 1 collection of haibun, and 1 collection of longer poems, The Last Days of Winter. I am also the co-author of Echoes: A Collection of Linked-Verse Poetry with Michelle Hyatt and Returning: Tanka Sequences with Michelle Hyatt.

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I served as the managing editor of three Haiku Nook anthologies: Yanty’s Butterfly (dedicated to haiku poet Yanty Tjiam), Half A Rainbow (dedicated to haiku poet Rachel Sutcliffe) and Desert Rain (dedicated to haiku poet Martha Magenta and the 600+ million people who don't have access to clean water). I'm also an active member of the Portland Haiku Group, and edited the Portland Haiku Group anthology, New Bridges, dedicated to haiku poet Johnny Baranski. 

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I enjoy spending time with friends and family and have several interests, including: painting, drawing, photography, music, poetry, meditation, exercise, nutrition, neurobiology, medical coding, reading, editing, professional networking, and social activism. As a musician, I enjoy playing piano, guitar and tabla drums from India. I frequently utilize Americans of Conscience to advocate for a better U.S. and world: https://americansofconscience.com/

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Inspired by the Great Seal of the United States, E Pluribus Unum, a Latin phrase that translates to: Out of Many, One. I value respect and diversity, and am dedicated to creating new bridges and community in a world that far too often appears violent and fragmented.

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I am the founder of the blog, Haiku Poet Interviews: https://haikupoetinterviews.wordpress.com/

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I frequently write about water and my favorite color is blue. My newest solo collection is Unplugged— Haiku & Tanka (Lulu Press, 2022). I'm also the author of Mare Liberum a cumulation of haiku and tanka inspired by water and the sea. 

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Email: jacobsalzerhaiku@gmail.com