KJZZ's Word Podcast Spotlights Arizona Authors and Names Winner of Annual Haiku Contest

A reporter, a former poet laureate, a haiku author with three books on the way and a contest winner are all featured in the newest episode of Word, KJZZ's podcast about literature in Arizona and the surrounding region. Tom Maxedon hosts the program.

Among the guests is KJZZ's own Christina Estes, who was recently awarded the Tony Hillerman prize for best first mystery novel. Her book is set in Phoenix and follows a news reporter who receives a tip about the murder of a radio host. It is due out next year.

Estes also reports in the episode on the Tucson Festival of Books, which returns March 12-13 after time away from the University of Arizona campus because of the pandemic. Some people, she notes, call the festival a "literary Disneyland."

Rosemarie Dombrowski, who taught at Arizona State University and served as the first and only Phoenix Poet Laureate, is also featured. Two years ago, Kira Zeeman Rugen, a soprano and composer with Phoenix Chorale, asked her to write a poem about the mythological phoenix. The plan was to set the work as an a cappella song for a 2020 concert by the group. That performance was shelved when the pandemic began. Phoenix Chorale is now presenting "Rebirth," a concert featuring Dombrowski's work, starting March 18.

Valley poet Lalee Bond is releasing a trilogy of haiku books this year, following last year's book of haiku and essays, "The Love Around Us." The first, "Mysteriously," came out this month. "Watercolor-Rendered Words" is due in April, and "Leave Us In The Now" will follow this summer. The episode asks whether the choice of three books was influenced by haiku's typical three-line structure.

Bond has shared her writing practice since 2008 through a weekly email list called Haiku Thursday. According to her author website, the haiku draw on dreams, journal entries and an eclectic mix of life and work experiences, and are occasionally accompanied by an essay. She holds a master's degree in museum studies from George Washington University, and her past jobs include classic car auction driver, wood window restoration specialist and assistant innkeeper at a bed-and-breakfast and dairy farm.

The episode also covers KJZZ's annual Haiku Writing Contest, which closed last Friday after drawing hundreds of submissions. This year's theme was "Things that bring you hope or joy." The randomly selected winner is Robin Wayland, an avid poet from Mesa. Her haiku is titled "Arizona Citrus." She workshopped it with a local writing group and credits its members for their edits.

Portions of Word have been nominated for Edward R. Murrow and Public Media Journalists Association awards. The podcast will return in April with more episodes.