Alexis K. Rotella (born January 16, 1947, in

Johnstown, Pennsylvania Johnstown is the largest city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, it is the principal city of the Metropolitan statistical area ...

) is an American poet and artist. She has written poems in several of the traditional styles of

Japanese poetry Japanese poetry is poetry typical of Japan, or written, spoken, or chanted in the Japanese language, which includes Old Japanese, Early Middle Japanese, Late Middle Japanese, and Modern Japanese, as well as poetry in Japan which was written in th ...

, including

haiku is a type of short form poetry that originated in Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases composed of 17 Mora (linguistics), morae (called ''On (Japanese prosody), on'' in Japanese) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern; that include a ''kire ...

senryū is a Japanese form of short poetry similar to haiku in construction: three lines with 17 (or , often translated as syllables, but see the article on for distinctions). tend to be about human foibles while haiku tend to be about nature, and a ...

renga ''Renga'' (, ''linked poem'') is a genre of Japanese collaborative poetry in which alternating stanzas, or ''ku (''句), of 5-7-5 and 7-7 morae (sound units, not to be confused with syllables) per line are linked in succession by multiple poets ...

, and

haibun is a prosimetric literary form originating in Japan, combining prose and haiku. The range of ''haibun'' is broad and frequently includes autobiography, diary, essay, prose poem, short story and travel journal. History The term "''haibun''" was ...

Biography

Alexis received a bachelor's degree in philosophy from

Drew University Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey, United States. It has a wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three schools. While affiliated with the Methodism, Me ...

Madison, New Jersey Madison is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 16,937, an increase of 1,092 (+6.9%) from the 2010 United ...

, where she wrote a thesis on

Zen Buddhism Zen (; from Chinese: '' Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka ph ...

. She also received a master's degree in Classical

Acupuncture Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which thin needles are inserted into the body. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience; the theories and practices of TCM are not based on scientif ...

from The Academy for Five Element Acupuncture (formerly The Worsley Institute, Hallandale, Florida) as well as a doctorate in clinical

hypnotherapy Hypnotherapy, also known as hypnotic medicine, is the use of hypnosis in psychotherapy. Hypnotherapy is generally not considered to be based on scientific evidence, and is rarely recommended in clinical practice guidelines. However, several p ...

(American Institute of Hypnotherapy, Santa Ana, California). In 1984, she served as the President of the

Haiku Society of America The Haiku Society of America is a non-profit organization composed of haiku poets, editors, critics, publishers and enthusiasts that promotes the composition and appreciation of haiku in English. Founded in 1968, it is the largest society dedicate ...

and edited its haiku journal '' Frogpond'' the same year. In 2009, she founded ''Prune Juice'', an English-language journal for senryu. Rotella is the 2019-2020 honorary curator of the American Haiku Archives at the

California State Library The California State Library is the state library of the State of California, founded in 1850 by the California State Legislature. The Library collects, preserves, generates and disseminates a wide array of information. Today, it is the central ...

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

Personal life

Alexis Rotella resides in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...

Bibliography

Poetry

* ''Purple'', The Merrow Report, 2014 * ''Clouds In My Teacup'', Wind Chimes Press, 1982 * ''Tuning the Lily'', High/Coo Press mini-chapbook #18, 1983 * ''After an Affair'' Merging Media, 1984 (Haiku Society of America Merit Book Award runner-up) * ''ASK!'', Muse Pie Press, 1984 * ''Camembert Comes from the Sea'', White Peony Press, 1984 * ''Harvesting Stars'', Jade Mountain Press, 1984 * ''On a White Bud'', Merging Media, 1984 * ''Closing the Circle'', Muse Pie Press, 1985 * ''Polishing a Ladybug'', Swamp Press, 1985 * ''Rearranging Light'', Muse Pie Press, 1985 (Haiku Society of America Merit Book Award runner-up) * ''Beards and Wings'', White Peony Press, 1985 * ''Middle City'', Muse Pie Press, 1986 (New Jersey State Council on the Arts Fellowship) * ''Moonflowers'', Jade Mountain Press, 1987 * ''Drizzle of Stars'' (renga with Scott Montgomery and Bob Boldman), Jade Mountain Press, 1988 * ''The Lace Curtain'', Jade Mountain Press, 1988 * ''Antiphony of Bells: A Haiku Journey Through Italy in Simultaneous English and Italian'', Jade Mountain Press, 1989 * ''An Unknown Weed'', King's Road Press, 1991 (Haiku Society of America Merit Book Award runner-up) * ''Carousel: 30 Senryu'', Juniper Press, 1991 (third place, Haiku Society of America Merit Book Awards) * ''Looking for a Prince'', White Peony Press, 1991 * ''Voice of the Mourning Dove: An Anthology of Haiku'', White Peony Press, 1991 * ''Eleven Renga'' (with Florence Miller), Jade Mountain Press, 1993 * ''Musical Chairs: A Haiku Journey Through Childhood'', Jade Mountain Press, 1994 * ''Yes: A Dozen Linked Poems'' (with Florence Miller), Jade Mountain Press, 1994 * ''A String of Monarchs: Thirteen Linked Poems'' (with Florence Miller), Jade Mountain Press, 1995 * ''No One Inside'' (linked poem with Carlos Colón), Proof Press, 1996 * ''Sassy'' (with Carlos Colón) Tragg Publishing, 1998 * ''Eavesdropping: Seasonal Haiku'', Modern English Tanka Press, 2007 * ''Lip Prints'' (tanka), Modern English Tanka Press, 2007 * ''Ouch: Senryu that Bite'', Modern English Tanka Press, 2007 * ''A Sprinkle of Glitter'' (a solo illustrated renga), Rosenberry Books, 2008 * Ask! Again: Rotellagrams, Rosenberry Books, 2008 * ''Looking for a Prince'', Modern English Tanka Press, revised second edition, 2008 * ''Elvis in Black Leather'', Modern English Tanka Press, 2009 * ''Black Jack Judy and the Crisco Kids'', Modern English Tanka Press, 2010 * ''Between Waves'', Red Moon Press, 2015 * ''The Color Blue'', Red Moon Press, 2017 * ''Old Diaries: Short Poems and Literary Fragments'', Kindle, 2018 * ''Different Conversations: Short Poems and Literary Fragments'', Kindle, 2018 * ''Dancing the Tarantella: Short Poems'', Jade Mountain Press, 2019 * ''Scratches on the Moon: A Haibun Collection'', Jade Mountain Press, 2019 (Touchstone Book Award), 2019 * ''Scattered Sunflowers: A Ukrainian/Russian-American’s Unique Perspective on the War – Told in Art and Poetry'', Jade Mountain Press, 2022 * ''Milkweed, Selected Haiku & Senryu (1979-2024)'', Brooks Books, 2024

Nonfiction

* ''How Words and Thoughts Affect Your Body: The Book of Affirmations'', Jade Mountain Press, 1989 * ''The Essence of Flowers'', Jade Mountain Press, 1991

Additional Publications

* ''Unsealing Our Secrets'' (#MeToo Stories), Jade Mountain Press, Touchstone Book Award, 2019 * ''Tanka 2020 Anthology: Poems for Today's World,'' Red Moon Press, 2020

References

Featured Writer: Alexis Rotella

External links

Blog website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rotella, Alexis Living people English-language haiku poets 1947 births People from Johnstown, Pennsylvania Drew University alumni