Editor Interview: Autumn Moon Haiku Journal Go to the listing List all editor interviews Edit answers (editors only) Describe what you publish in 25 characters or less.Nature-based haikuKristen Lindquist, Co-editor on 02 November 2025What other current publications (or publishers) do you admire most?Haiku journals: Acorn Haiku Journal, Kingfisher, First Frost, Hedgerow, Wales Haiku Journal, Modern Haiku, Whiptail, tinywords, Mayfly, Akitsu Quarterly, FrogpondKristen Lindquist, Co-editor on 02 November 2025If you publish writing, who are your favorite writers? If you publish art, who are your favorite artists?Some favorite haiku poets: Classical 17th-18th century Japanese poets Basho, Buson, Issa, and Chiyo-ni; Peggy Willis Lyles, Marlene Mountain, Paul Chambers, Thomas Powell, Carolyn Hall… so many more!Kristen Lindquist, Co-editor on 02 November 2025What sets your publication apart from others that publish similar material?We feature more traditional nature-based haiku that focus on the implicit, unstated emotion within the haiku moment. We favor ego-less poems and shy away from so-called gendai haiku. So in that sense, we are celebrating the roots of haiku—showcasing resonant haiku that a reader can easily step into—as well as centering the natural world.Kristen Lindquist, Co-editor on 02 November 2025What is the best advice you can give people who are considering submitting work to your publication?Please read our guidelines! We will not publish 5-7-5 haiku. That is not a thing in English Language haiku. And we aren’t looking for avant-garde haiku. We’re looking for resonant moments conveyed with fresh juxtapositions. If you’re a beginner, we encourage you to read Bruce Ross’s book HAIKU MOMENT.Kristen Lindquist, Co-editor on 02 November 2025Describe the ideal submission.No bio, no explanations, just two resonant, interesting, authentic haiku in which we can feel the moment for ourselves.Kristen Lindquist, Co-editor on 02 November 2025What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?They submit haiku that are too “out there” for our journal, they submit 5-7-5 haiku, or they are hostile to feedback. Writing haiku has traditionally been a community process.Kristen Lindquist, Co-editor on 02 November 2025How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?We don’t need to know anything about the person submitting except their name and where they are from. The work should speak for itself. And honestly, that’s all we’re really going to read to make our decision.Kristen Lindquist, Co-editor on 02 November 2025If you publish writing, how much of a piece do you read before making the decision to reject it?Haiku are one to three lines long, so we read every piece to the end.Kristen Lindquist, Co-editor on 02 November 2025What additional evaluations, if any, does a piece go through before it is accepted?Rarely, we might ask a poet to consider a small edit to their piece before we will accept it.Kristen Lindquist, Co-editor on 02 November 2025What is a day in the life of an editor like for you?My co-editor Astrid is the first reader of all our submissions. She recognizes stellar haiku and will accept them without consulting me. Haiku that might need a second look then come to me. So we are frequently emailing back and forth during the submission reading period.Kristen Lindquist, Co-editor on 02 November 2025How much do you edit an accepted piece prior to publication?Haiku are short, so our suggested edits are rare and usually not substantial; if your haiku needs substantial work, it’s probably not ready for publication. We do ask for approval for edits that are simply proofreading.Kristen Lindquist, Co-editor on 02 November 2025Do you nominate work you've published for any national or international awards?We nominate haiku that appear in Autumn Moon for the Touchstone Awards for Haiku, an annual international award sponsored by The Haiku Foundation. We also choose our own Best of Issue Awards each year.Kristen Lindquist, Co-editor on 02 November 2025How is your project funded?It’s all online, and it has been a labor of love since it was founded by Bruce Ross. He, and then his wife Astrid, my co-editor, have paid for the fees to maintain a website.Kristen Lindquist, Co-editor on 02 November 2025How do you promote your project and published authors/artists?I will often share links to issues on my personal social media. I also promote submission deadlines and our annual Best of Issue Awards on my social media and in a regional haiku newsletter for which I’m the editor.Kristen Lindquist, Co-editor on 02 November 2025 Cookie Consent: This site uses secure first-party cookies for essential, preference-setting, and statistical purposes. We do not use any marketing, advertising, or third-party cookies. Read our full cookie policy. Accept All Cookies Allow Essential Cookies Only