Congrats to the 2025 Touchstone Nominees

I admit that, given the controversy regarding the 2024 Touchstone Awards, I was reluctant to nominate work this year. However, after a great deal of thought, I am going to put my trust in this year’s Touchstone team. While I still feel a little wary about the Touchstones, I do see some good-faith work from this year’s coordinator, and the thought of not nominating any of the excellent work that appeared this year didn’t quite sit right with me.

Because we publish roughly 100 daily issues between June and September, Haiku Girl Summer gets to nominate 30 poems. Guest editors were invited to submit poems published in their respective weeks, and of course I selected some of my own. (Some people got nominated twice because multiple editors nominated their poems.)

2025 was a banner year for Haiku Girl Summer, to the point where I am working on a lessons learned document for myself, and considering adding additional support on a permanent basis. However, there is a lot to consider, and I don’t have concrete plans yet. Stay tuned for future developments!

Thanks again for your readership and support.

Adele Evershed

wild hibiscus
pretending I smell nothing
on his breath

Agnes Eva Savich

the underside
of lotus leaves
dancing light

Allyson Whipple

as though they had one job buzzing houseflies

Anju Kishore

mango blossoms
the tang of gran’s pickle
in the koel’s song

*

a child bites
into spiced sunlight
starfruit cart

Barbara Sabol

sandpipers
at low tide
an allegro of legs

Bonnie J Scherer

lazy afternoon
sleeping in under cover
peek-a-boo sun

C. Jean Downer

synchronized fireflies
lost childhood memories
come to light

C.X. Turner

midday lull
she eats the cone
to its echo

Cynthia A. Anderson

monsoon season
earthquakes
around the edges

Fatma Zohra Habis

the colors I add
to your intentions...
crimson twilight

Geethanjali Rajan

searing heat—
squeals and giggles
at the splash fountain

Joanna Ashwell

homemade tarts
the ease of slipping
into cotton slacks

Kelly Sargent

sun tea at twilight
tasting the day
all over again

*

saltwater taffy
pulling one more story
from this vacation

Kimberly A. Horning

august the planchette spells september

kjmunro

wilderness tour all the bear bells & whistles

Marion Clarke

shrieking gulls
my siblings and I throw the sea
at each other

*

stifling heat
the dog chasing a red kite
exhausts me

Michele Rule

wildfire
might as well take up
smoking

Minal Sarosh

custard apple
the seeds mother never
threw away

Nitu Yumnam

dry grass
the weight
of sun

Radhika De Silva

his gift
on her ring finger
star-studded sky

Ruth Holzer

not seeking
another companion
last firefly

Sangita Kalarickal

summer thunderstorm
the muddy frills
of Sarah Bernhardt

*

eye floaters
cottonwood seeds
pirouette in the sun

Sari Grandstaff

extra innings
advancing along the baseline
the buck moon

Sharon Martina

the paint dry
wrapping up three innings
of t-ball

Vandana Parashar

spooning the night Big Dipper

*

fighting kites everywhere a tangled sky