Julie Schwerin, author of What Was Here (Folded Word Press), Walking Away From the Sunset (Brooks Books) and still growing wings (Backbone Press), came to haiku in the midst of cancer and grief journeys, writing one-breath poems to focus on the present moment with acceptance, wonder and appreciation. Schwerin was instrumental in establishing several haiku installations in the Midwest including The Forest Haiku Walk at the Holmes County Open Air Art Museum in Millersburg, Ohio (2015 – present), the Seasons of Haiku Trail at The Holden Arboretum in Kirtland, Ohio (2018-2019) and Words in Bloom: A Year of Haiku at the Chicago Botanic Garden (2020-2021) to feature the work of other poets and bring further awareness to this deceptively simple and powerful poetic form.
PRAISE:
Private and personal, Julie Schwerin‘s fencing with the moon embraces and celebrates the femininity found within seasonal variation and humankind. With freedom, these distinct, fresh images are simultaneously soft and striking. Both traditional and avant garde, Schwerin’s contemporary haiku and senryu illustrate a journey towards independence. These poems give permission to not only exist, but to take up space. This collection isn’t just for the author herself, but it is a declaration for all generations of fem-presenting people, past, present, and future.
–Rowan B. Minor, Haiku Society of America Midwest Regional Coordinator
–Rowan B. Minor, Haiku Society of America Midwest Regional Coordinator
A woman’s heart has a mind of its own. In fencing with the moon, Julie Schwerin‘s heart has found its voice. This is a compelling collection of intimately woven poems of transition and transformation, from the tender years through the forgotten years. It is a testament to women everywhere who are “fencing with the moon” to be heard.
–Francine Banwarth, Author of Bare Necessities
Julie Schwerin is an adept of the structure and traditions of English-language haiku who never seems confined by either. Her work reflects the eternal rhythms of the seasons, the moon, birds and flowers, the tides, but in the context of contemporary society where people get therapy and restraining orders, “identify triggers,” open carry, experience homelessness, evacuate and migrate. Some of these haiku read as if they could have been written by a Japanese master three hundred years ago; others use contemporary disjunctive techniques and explore the psychic landscape of the twenty-first century. Free-ranging, moving, and profound, Schwerin’s work both startles and comforts.
–Melissa Allen, editor of Password: the journal of very short poetry
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