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.

See the 2024 High/Coo Chapbook Awards

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

HIGH/COO Chapbook
Competition Guidelines

Each year the High/Coo Chapbook Competition opens January 1. Readers may subscribe to each year's chapbooks published in the competition. All subscribers are eligible to submit a chapbook of haiku, senryu, or tanka (or a combination of these) for that year's competition.

Guidelines for HIGH/COO Chapbook Submissions:

Submissions to the competition open January 1 and close April 1 each year.

1 - There is no entry fee, but you must be a subscriber to the current year's High/Coo Chapbooks series to enter the competition. Subscription is $30 per year which includes a copy of all award-winning chapbooks published that year. International subscribers will receive PDF editions of the chapbooks.

The chapbooks will be sold separately for $15 per copy, so a subscriber gets a significant discount receiving that year's chapbooks for $30 plus $5 postage. You do not have to submit a chapbook manuscript in the contest to subscribe to the High/Coo Chapbooks series.

If you are a subscriber to High/Coo Chapbooks, you may submit one chapbook manuscript per year.
 
2 - Chapbook manuscripts will be submitted by email to brooksbooks@gmail.com and include the following requirements:
 
     • a book title
     • a short biography of the author (500-1000 words)
     • 30 - 50 haiku, senryu, or tanka (no haibun, no linked verse, no other genres)
     • acknowledgments for previous publication of any poem submitted
     • author’s name, address, email address & publication name preference
     • SUBJECT LINE: HIGHCOO Chapbook Submission

     optional, but not required:

     • a short introduction about your collection
     • a short introduction to your own art of writing haiku or tanka
     • you may submit your chapbook by mail but include an email address for response (no returns)
 
3 - There will be at least three chapbooks published each year. Winning authors will receive 10 copies of their collection and $100. They also will get a 50% author's discount on additional copies of their chapbook.
 
4 - Submissions open January 1 and the closing deadline for submission is April 1. Winning chapbooks will be announced by May 1 and published in early summer.

Randy & Shirley Brooks
6 Madera Court
Taylorville, IL 62568

https://www.brooksbookshaiku.com/chapbooks.html

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.

Purchase of individual chapbooks are also available on the Brooks Books web site. 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.

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.

One Note Moon
by
Ben Gaa

ISBN 978-1-929820-28-3 • perfectbound
May 2023, 52 pages (4" X 6") • $15.00 US

adrift in your sea
my three octopus
hearts

~ ~ ~

pulled from the cello
a one note
moon

For more information, see the web page flyer

Walking Away from the Sunset
by
Julie Schwerin

ISBN 978-1-929820-27-6 • perfectbound
May 2023, 80 pages (4" X 6") • $15.00 US

warm summer evening
enough swifts to swirl
a van Gogh sky

~ ~ ~

   sunrise —
learning again to color
     outside the lines

For more information, see the web page flyer

Learning to See
by
Edward J. Rielly

ISBN 978-1-929820-29-0 • perfectbound
May 2023, 68 pages (4" X 6") • $15.00 US

scrabble . . .
my words and yours
joining

~ ~ ~

white clouds drifting —
the long drive back
to where we came from

For more information, see the web page flyer

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:

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.