And this is what the Jury Panel thinks about A Sky Full of Bucket Lists by Shobhana Kumar — the recipient of the Touchstone Distinguished Books Honorable Mention for 2021

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The variety of haibun styles and formats Kumar employs range from the common to the inventive. There are haibun structured as free verse, as dialogue, and as a letter. Haibun are presented sideways, in a different font, and interwoven with song lyrics. The form for each piece effectively enhances its meaning. What connects them all is a strong voice that creates an emotionally-impactful offering. These are life stories, sometimes tragic, spoken plainly using haibun elements that resonate and shift in delightful ways.

As we witness in A Sky Full of Bucket Lists “what happens in the head, in one’s home, on the streets, and in abandoned spaces”, we might discover threads from this rich tapestry that bring color to our own.

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Read the full commentary here.

https://thehaikufoundation.org/shobhana-kumar-touchstone-distinguished-books-award-honorable-mention-2021/