Deborah P Kolodji (born August 11, 1959) is an American

haiku is a type of short form poetry originally from Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases that contain a ''kireji'', or "cutting word", 17 '' on'' (phonetic units similar to syllables) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern, and a ''kigo'', or se ...

poet.

Biography

Early life

Kolodji was born and raised in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

. She took an interest in poetry before she learned to read, enjoying the rhythms of nursery rhymes recited aloud. Kolodji wrote poetry from an early age, including ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

''-inspired verse as a teenager which appeared in fanzines in the 1970s. She credits a junior high school math and science teacher with a passion for poetry with encouraging her interest in formal verse in general, but states that it was only as an adult that she came to take a specific interest in the haiku form.

Education and career

In 1981, Kolodji obtained a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

. In addition to her career as a poet, she has worked in information technology. Kolodji made her first professional poetry sale in 1992. She began publishing poetry in the genres of science fiction and fantasy the following year. Hundreds of Kolodji's haiku and other short-form poems have since appeared in numerous anthologies and literary journals. She has edited or co-edited several anthologies of English-language haiku, including ''Eclipse Moon'' (2017, with William Scott Galasso). She has also acted as editor of ''Amaze: The Cinquain Journal'', which she co-founded. Kolodji has also acted as editor or co-editor of multiple anthologies of speculative verse, including several volumes of the annual ''

Dwarf Stars The Dwarf Stars Award is an annual award presented by the Science Fiction Poetry Association to the author of the best horror, fantasy, or science fiction poem of ten lines or fewer published in the previous year. The award was established in 20 ...

'' anthologies collecting nominees for year's best very short science fiction and fantasy poetry and an issue of online speculative poetry journal ''

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,'' a publication which she founded alongside Samantha Henderson. Kolodji was president of the

Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association The Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA) is a society based in the United States with the aim of fostering an international community of writers and readers interested in poetry pertaining to the genres of science fiction, fantasy, ...

for five years, stepping down from the post in 2011. She has also served as moderator of the Southern California Haiku Study Group at the

USC Pacific Asia Museum USC Pacific Asia Museum is an Asian art museum located at 46 N. Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, California, United States. The museum was founded in 1971 by the Pacificulture Foundation, which purchased "The Grace Nicholson Treasure House of Orienta ...

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

and the California Regional Coordinator for the

Haiku Society of America The Haiku Society of America is a non-profit organization composed of haiku poets, editors, critics, publishers and enthusiasts that promotes the composition and appreciation of haiku in English. Founded in 1968, it is the largest society dedicate ...

. Since 2016, Kolodji has also been a board member of Haiku North America, a biennial conference devoted to haiku poetry.

Marriage and children

Kolodji divorced in 1992. She has two sons and a daughter. Two of her children are also published haiku poets.

Published works

Poetry collections

''Tug of a Black Hole'' (Title IX Press, 2021) ''Highway of Sleeping Towns'' (Shabda Press, 2016) ''Red Planet Dust'' (2007) ''Symphony of the Universe'' (Sam's Dot Publishing, 2006) ''Unfinished Book'' (Shadows Ink Publications, 2006) ''Seaside Moon'' (Saki Press, 2004)

Recognition

Kolodji's haiku collection ''Highway of Sleeping Towns'' was the recipient of a 2016 Touchstone Distinguished Books Award and received an honorable mention in the Haiku Society of America's 2017 Merit Book Awards. Kolodji's fantasy scifaiku "Basho After Cinderella (iii)" placed first in the 2013 Dwarf Stars Awards and was collected in '' Nebula Awards Showcase 2015''. Kolodji's poem "Wildfire," written in collaboration with Billie Dee, won in the Rengay category of the Haiku Poets of Northern California contest in 2020. The following year, her poem "Perseverance," another collaboration with Billie Dee, placed third in the Haiku Society of America Rengay Awards.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolodji, Deborah P. American women poets Haiku poets 1959 births Living people University of Southern California alumni