Jeff Hoagland

Hopewell, New Jersey

Jeff Hoagland is an impassioned naturalist. Through his work as education director at The Watershed Institute in Pennington, New Jersey, he enjoys a very public love affair with all things wild, examining our place in the natural world, our role as stewards, and the processes of science, with thousands of students annually. As a naturalist, he may be found in a stream or a river, foraging in the forest, exploring the night, or communing with little creatures. Jeff practices haiku as an antidote to a busy life and to stay connected to the “real” world. His haiku have appeared in a wide range of journals, contests, and anthologies, including New Resonance 7: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku published by Red Moon Press in 2011. In January 2020, Jeff became an associate editor at The Heron’s Nest. His new book of haiku, from Red Moon Press, is Scent of Juniper. He enjoys presenting haiku workshops at gatherings large and small, and is most grateful for the shared warmth of the haiku community.

summer brook

perfect skipping stone

on the other side

             The Heron’s Nest X:4, 2008

skinny dipping

more than water

between us

             A Hundred Gourds 1:3, 2012

long day―

admiring the garden

by firefly light

             Modern Haiku 39:3, 2008

Perseids

counting

mosquitoes

             Tinywords 14:2, 2014

mulberry stains

my fingers

on your lips

             Modern Haiku 48:2, 2017

green darner

stitching the sky

to the meadow

             Second Prize, 2019 Kusamakura International Haiku Contest

slip knot

the courtship

of swallows

             Akitsu Quarterly, Spring 2022

sleepless

by choice

frog song

             Wild Graces Anthology, 2021

late night

hallelujah chorus

coyotes

             Frogpond, Winter 2021

Queen Anne’s lace

a hoverfly

without wings

             Honorable Mention, 2020 Morioka International Haiku Contest

cricket song

night sky

turning

             Second Prize, 2020 Kaji Aso Studio International Haiku Contest

sawgrass

the push and pull

of the wind

             Presence #67, July 2020

piper

at the gates of dawn

wood thrush

             Frogpond 42:3, Fall 2019

slowly

without a sound

tree rings

             The Heron’s Nest XXI:3, September 2019