About

confluence is a haiku journal centered on innovation and community. Our mission is to make a significant and lasting contribution to haiku as a literary form by:

  • Publishing outstanding work that stretches the possibilities for haiku,
  • Providing a venue for emerging haiku poets to showcase a representative sample of their work and receive readership and recognition,
  • Creating a vital, global community of poet Fellows, that collaborate together and engage deeply with one another’s work, and
  • Introducing haiku as a vibrant literary form to new readers and writers, outside the current niche of haiku poets.

confluence is edited by Ryland Shengzhi Li, Antoinette Cheung, and Aidan Castle. You can contact the editors at editor [at] confluencehaiku [dot] com.

Ryland Shengzhi Li

Ryland Shengzhi Li (李晟之) is a poet and environmental lawyer living in Northern Virginia, USA. He got initiated into Japanese short form poetry through Towpath, a local haiku group in the National Capital Area. Poetry teaches him how to pay attention and to see the beauty and interdependence of all things. His favorite poets include Mary Oliver, Kahlil Gibran, and Jenny Ward Angyal, whose writings are beautiful, profound, and wise. In his free time, Ryland also enjoys being with loved ones, exploring America’s public lands, and capturing photos of exquisite and hidden things. Find out more about Ryland’s haiku journey at The Haiku Foundation.

Antoinette Cheung

Antoinette Cheung is a poet based in Vancouver, Canada, and is currently a co-editor at Prune Juice. As an immigrant from Hong Kong, her poetry often explores Chinese-Canadian identity and family values. Her work has been published in leading haiku/senryu journals and anthologies, including The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku. She has been recognized with numerous awards including the 2023 Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Top Winner, Basho-an Award from the 5th International English Haiku Competition, and Haiku Canada’s 2021 Betty Drevniok Award. Antoinette serves as coordinator of the HSA Haiku Social Club, which provides a space for poets aged 40 and under to connect, share their work, and hear from established poets from the wider haiku community. 

Aidan Castle

Aidan is a queer transgender poet and visual artist living in Washington state. He was initially drawn to very short poetry due to stamina constraints from a traumatic brain injury, and fell in love with haiku during the early days of COVID-19. Aidan delights in the challenges inherent to extreme brevity, and the potential for multiple meanings. The practice of writing tiny poems based in direct sensory experience helps him to remain grounded. Aidan adores his chosen family and the land of the Pacific Northwest. When not writing, he can be found hiking, camping, drinking coffee, or staring out into the fog. A visual artist since childhood, he augments his poetry practice with drawing and painting. He recently published his first book of haiku (the gossamer, 2023), and is now at work on a book of haibun.