Grit, Grace and Gold

An award-winning haiku poet and photographer, Kit Pancoast Nagamura was born in the U.S. and studied at Brown University, University of Michigan (M.A.), and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Ph.D.). She has lived in Japan for over 20 years. Nagamura has won numerous accolades for her haiku, including an Ito-en Oicha Award of Excellence, Award of Excellence for Matsuyama's Setouchi International Haiku Contest, an O Miami Poetry Award; and has won three consecutive Honorable Mentions in the Tokutomi Haiku Contest held by the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society. She hosts NHK World's Haiku Masters program, which airs around the world. In addition, she gives workshops, and serves as a judge for the Golden Triangle Haiku Contest in Washington, D.C., among others. Nagamura is the co-author of Kodansha's The Ultimate Japanese Phrasebook.

“Sports is the art of the human condition, trained to physical and mental perfection. Haiku is the refined art of language, polished to pursue the ultimate cosmos. The symphony of sports and haiku in this book will lead readers to a new way of understanding the world.”—Masako Kakutani, Board of Directors for the Society of Haiku Poets, and the Haiku International Association  “[Nagamura’s] eye, that of a poet and photographer, has celebrated athletic events with splendid examples of ‘the haiku moment.' This book will surely give you a new view of the haiku world—dynamic, youthful, and full of power.—Marie Mariya, Executive committee member of the Haiku International Association, and a member of the Association of Haiku Poets  “Fresh, insightful and often surprisingly humorous, Nagamura’s haiku skillfully capture the essence of each sports…Although the Tokyo 2020 Olympics has now been postponed, this collection of sports haiku remains a winner.”—Louise George Kittaka, The Japan Times