2025 HIGH/COO Chapbooks
Annual
Competition
In 2023 Brooks Books launched a new annual High/Coo Chapbooks competition. Each year we invite submissions of chapbook manuscripts by April 1. At least three of the best submissions will be published in our new subscription series of High/Coo Chapbooks. For 2024 Brooks Books selected 4 chapbook award collections for the 2024 subscripiton.
Why do we want to publish these under the “High/Coo Chapbooks” imprint? This new imprint honors our initial venture into publishing, which was a small press magazine: High/Coo: A Quarterly of Short Verse. “High/Coo” is an Americanized version of the Japanese term, both in appearance and conception, which is a recognition that we are promoting a contemporary English literary art.
“High/Coo” contains within it several key assumptions about our approach to haiku poetics. With “high” we embrace a poetry seeking to celebrate being alive — the emotions, feelings, perceptions, and enthusiastic realizations that come from being present to the gifts, mysteries, surprises, and insights available in our everyday lives. These are high moments of consciousness. Highlights of being alive. We love poetry that comes from deep contemplation, discovered insight and heartfelt feeling.
The “coo” refers to our responses to these high moments of being alive. As poets, we give voice to our responses. We playfully experiment with the “coo” that naturally springs out of these moments of being alive — giving voice to various states of high awareness. Our “coos” often understate or suggest the significance of what is left unsaid. Playful language hints at a state of consciousness. We like playful language!
And finally, there is the “/“ between “high” and “coo”. This represents the haiku cut, an essential silence that invites the reader into the space of the poem’s consciousness, language, and images. It is the pause that comes at various points in haiku, senryu, and tanka. A contemplative breath in the middle of things. A door that opens to invite the reader inside to a world of imaginative play.
Put these all together, and you get “High/Coo!”
Randy & Shirley Brooks |
2025 HIGH/COO Chapbook
Competition Winners
Brooks Books is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 High/Coo Chapbook Competition.
This year we had 34 entries in the competition. Many of these manuscripts are worthy of publication, so it was very difficult deciding on publishing three collections. We are grateful for all authors who prepared and submitted such high-quality chapbook manuscripts.
Haiku lovers may purchase the 2025 HIGH/COO Chapbooks as a print-copy bundle or digital PDF bundle. A subscription is $30 per year which includes a copy of all three chapbooks. International subscriptions are for PDF copies only.
You may subscribe to the 2025 HIGH/COO Chapbooks series at any time, and orders for individual chapbooks are available. |
Creek Crossing
by
Valorie Broadhurst Woerdehoff
finding the path
the rocks keep . . .
creek crossing
anniversary
the merging steam
of two cups |
A Thousand Moons
by
Kevin Valentine
summer moon
fireflies ignite
the child inside
bait bucket
reaching into the moon
for a minnow |
A Call’s Loon
by
Vandana Parashar
releasing the breath
I don't remember holding
cherry blossoms
war zone
no one left to decide
who is right |
A subscription bundle of all three may be purchased for a discounted price of $30, plus postage. You may order your subscription bundle below.
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2025 HIGH/COO Chapbooks Annual Print Subscription:
Print Editions Bundle (3 chapbooks):
Annual High/Coo Chapbooks Subscription is $30 for one year plus $5 postage and handling.
USA subcribers may purchase a High/Coo Chapbooks Subscription for all three print-edition chapbooks for $30, plus $5 postage and handling.
You may purchase your chapbooks bundle through PayPal:
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2025 HIGH/COO Chapbooks Annual PDF Subscription:
PDF Editions Bundle (3 chapbooks):
International postage is so expensive that we offer PDF editions of the chapbooks.
International subcribers and/or those who prefer digital copies will receive PDF editions of the three winning chapbooks instead of print editions.
There is no postage charge for this PDF editions subscription, so annual subscription is $30 USD payable with PayPal:
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2024 HIGH/COO Chapbook
Competition Winners
Brooks Books is pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 High/Coo Chapbook Competition. We loved the range of topics and quality of the haiku, senryu and tanka evident in these collections.
This year we had 28 entries in the competition. Many of these manuscripts are worthy of publication, so it was very difficult deciding on publishing four collections. We are grateful for all authors who prepared and submitted such high-quality chapbook manuscripts.
The four collections and award-winning authors (in no particular order) are:
The Alchemy of Love
by
Susan Burch
Unthrown Stones
by
Evan Coram
Natural Consequences
by
John S. O’Connor
A Lost Prophet
by
Jacob D. Salzer
Haiku and tanka lovers may purchase the 2024 HIGH/COO Chapbooks as a print-copy bundle or PDF bundle. A subscription is $30 per year which includes a copy of all four chapbooks. International subscriptions are for PDF copies only.
You may subscribe to the 2024 HIGH/COO Chapbooks series at any time, but orders for individual chapbooks will not be available until after publication in early summer 2024. Each chapbook will be available as a single book purchase at a cost of $15 each plus $4 postage. |
2024 HIGH/COO Chapbooks Annual Print Subscription:
Print Editions Bundle (4 chapbooks):
Annual High/Coo Chapbooks Subscription is $30 for one year plus $5 postage and handling.
If you live in the United States you may subscribe online as
a secure transaction with your credit card through paypal.com:
|
2024 HIGH/COO Chapbooks Annual PDF Subscription:
PDF Editions Bundle (4 chapbooks):
International postage is so expensive that we offer PDF editions of the chapbooks for international subscribers.
Annual High/Coo Chapbooks PDF Subscription is $30 USD for one year. There is no postage charge for the PDF editions.
If anyone would rather receive the PDF Editions Bundle instead of the print editions, please use this purchase bundle.
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2023 HIGH/COO Chapbook
Competition Winners
Brooks Books is pleased to announce the three winners of the 2023 High/Coo Chapbook Competition. We loved the range of topics and quality of the haiku evident in these collections.
This inaugural year we had 26 entries in the chapbook competition. The large majority of these are worthy of publication, so it was very difficult deciding on just three awards. We are grateful for all of the authors who prepared and submitted such high-quality chapbook manuscripts.
The three collections and award-winning authors (in no particular order) are:
One Note Moon
by
Ben Gaa
Walking Away from the Sunset
by
Julie Schwerin
Learning to See
by
Edward J. Rielly
Haiku lovers may purchase the 2023 HIGH/COO Chapbooks as a print-copy bundle or PDF bundle.
Purchase of individual chapbooks are also available on the Brooks Books web site. |
2023 HIGH/COO Chapbooks PDF Bundle
(PDF copies):
High/Coo PDF Chapbook subscribers will receive PDF editions instead of print editions. There is no postage charge for this PDF subscription, so annual subscription is $30 USD:
You may still purchase the 2023 HIGH/COO Chapbooks pirnt bundle or PDF bundle |
2023 HIGH/COO Chapbooks Bundle
(print copies):
Annual High/Coo Chapbooks Subscription is $30 for one year (three chapbooks) US plus $5 postage and handling.
If you live in the United States you may subscribe online as
a secure transaction with your credit card through paypal.com:
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