Born in Saskatchewan, the sixth of eight children; age six moved to B.C. and felt a Westcoaster since. With husband Arthur, raised four now-grown children. I have had six books published and poetry in over 80 hc/pb anthologies published in North America, New Zealand, Japan and Europe. Among them: Wild Flowers New Leaves- World Haiku (England), The Haiku Anthology (Norton USA), Haiku World: An International Poetry Almanac (Kodanshu International Japan), The Leaves are Back on the Tree (Greece) and Haiku: A Poet’s Guide (USA). In Fine Form (Can)
Took part of poetry seminars in Japan and Romania.
My work’s been translated to Japanese, French, Greek, German, Croatian, Romanian and Yugoslavian. Some archived in the Tokyo Haiku Museum, the Yamagata Basho Museum, CA State Library’s American Haiku Archives, Haiku Canada Archives and the Haiku Collection of the Fraser-Hickson Library (PQ).
I’m a member of: The League of Canadian Poets, Federation of BC Writers, several North American, European and Japanese haiku organizations, the Haiku International, Association, The Tanka Association of America. and Poets For Peace groups. Work has been been on Transit posters, in art work, calendars, holographic anthologies, CDs, peace packets and on websites. Though known mostly for Japanese forms of poetry have appeared in other publications /won contests for humor, free verse, and sonnet forms. I’ve written off and on for years. Held various jobs; last paid job was in the Howell’s Bookstore on Bastion. I do senior’s tai chi and yoga and hope to keep on writing.
Awards
Shikishi, calligraphy by Akiro Mizuno of haiku by master haijin Toto Kaneko for her haiku in English 1986.
Expo 86 Japan Pavilion Book Prize from Japan Airlines, 1986.
Japanese Foreign Minister's Scroll haiku contest, Grand Prize World Haiku Festival World Haiku Contest, 1989.
Trophy World Haiku Festival Oku no Hosomichi 300 Anniversary Committee haiku in English 1989.
Basho Trophy haiku in English. 1989.
Featured on TAKESHI SAKURAI's program Haiku Corner on NHK (Nippon Hoso Kyokai /Japan Broadcasting Corporation) 1990.
Internatioanl Literacy Year celebrations Clouds Empty Themselves- Island Haiku
Fundatia Nipponica Societatea Romana De Haiku Award of Excellence for a paper presented at the Symposium on Matsuo Basho Bucharest 1997.
Fundatia Nipponica Societatea Romana De Haiku Commemorative Medal for her book Moss Hung Trees 1997.
Croatian Haiku Association Award 1997.
Certificate of Merit for tanka Nihon Kajin Club 2000
World Haiku Festival 2000 Contest 3RD PRIZE 2000
HOSHI-TO-MORI INTERNATIONAL TANKA CONTEST, first prize English Div. 2001.
Selected Publications
Not so Scarlet A Woman- light and humourous poems (red cedar press, 1987) ISBN 0-9693047-0-6.
Clouds Empty Themselves: Island Haiku. (red cedar press, 1991) ISBN 0-9693047-4-9.
Moss-Hung Trees: Haiku of the West Coast. (Reflections Publishing, 1992) ISBN 0-9692570-3-1.
Beyond the Lighthouse. (Oolichan Books, 1992) ISBN 0-88982-114-3.
Even a Stone Breathes (Oolichan Press, 2000) ISBN: 0-88982-181-X 5.
The Slough- A Prairie Childhood (Leaf Press 2006) ISBN: 0-9780536-1-3.
Selected Anthologies
Haiku World (Kodansha International, 1996) ISBN 4-7700-2090-2.
The Haiku Anthology-Haiku in English. (W.W. Norton USA & Gt. Br., 1999) ISBN 0-393-04743-1.
Haiku Poetry Ancient & Modern (MQP Publications, 2002). ISBN 1 84072 307 6
The Haiku Anthology (Norton) ISBN 0-393-04743-1
In Fine Form (Raincoast Books) 1-55192-777-2
Haiku Moment (Tuttle)
Books in Print
Baker, Winona
Beyond The Lighthouse. Oolichan Books, 1992. $9.95 ISBN: 0-88982-114-3.
Clouds Empty Themselves: Island Haiku. (redcedar press, 1989) $4.95 ISBN:
0-9693047-4-9.
Moss Hung Trees: Haiku of the West Coast. (Reflections Publishing, 1992)
$10.00 ISBN: 0-9692570-3-1.
Even a Stone Breathes (Oolichan Press, 2000) $13.95 ISBN: 0-88982-181-X 5.
The Slough- A Prairie Childhood (Leaf Press 2006) $10.00 ISBN: 0-9780536-1-3
Winona Baker 606 First St. Nanaimo, BC V9R 1Y9 phone (250) 753-8417
wbaker@telus.net