July 21, 2011

Tanya McDonald started writing haiku in the mid-1990s at Linfield College where she surreptitiously counted out syllables on her fingers in literature classes. A native Oregonian, she now resides in Woodinville with her husband, their cat, and a ridiculous number of books. She has been a member of Haiku Northwest since 2008. When she’s not composing haiku on buses or on walks, she is working on her urban fantasy novel. Her poems have appeared in Modern Haiku, Frogpond, Bottle Rockets, The Heron’s Nest, Acorn, Dwarf Stars 2010, Where the Wind Turns: The 2009 Red Moon Anthology, and Fifty-Seven Damn Good Haiku by a Bunch of Our Friends. Tanya is currently serving as coordinator for Haiku Northwest, the Washington State region of the Haiku Society of America.

Dejah Léger comes from a small river community (population 40!) in southern Oregon. Her parents both worked year-round on the river, and she developed her love of nature from a childhood of fishing, kayaking, and rafting. After moving briefly to Thailand, France, and Russia, she settled down in Seattle. She began writing haiku in 2002 and draws from her deep love of traditional music and songwriting. A sonnet of hers won first place in the Washington Poets Association’s 2009 Aden contest. She married her high school sweetheart with whom she has two daughters and a roots music promotion business, Hearth Music. Dejah is currently a full-time graphic artist, mother, and musician.