Christopher Bays

Poet

Beavercreek, OH
Ohio US
Email: 
Chrisbayspoetry@gmail.com
Website: 
chrisbayspoetry.com/

Author's Bio

Chris Bays lives on the outskirts of an Audubon-sanctioned reserve in Ohio. When not recovering from a long night of screech owls, or gallivanting around the country with family, he works as a Professor at Clark State College, teaching English composition, literature, and creative writing. Prior to teaching, he was a business owner and world traveler. His poetry is influenced by these travels and his experiences growing up as a military dependent in Germany, Turkey, and elsewhere. In 2017 and 2020 his poetry won 1st place for Best Unpublished Haibun through the Haiku Society of America. His poems have also won other national and international awards and have been published here and abroad. Various anthologies include his work, such as The Red Moon Press of English-Language Haiku (2017-2019) and Red Moon Press’s Contemporary Haibun 16 (2021). Edge of Suburbia is his first book of poems.

Publications & Prizes

Anthologies:
Contemporary Haibun 16 (Red Moon Press, 2021)
,
The Ohio Haiku Anthology (Cuttlefish Books, 2020)
,
The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2018 (Red Moon Press, 2019)
,
The Red Moon Anthology of English-Languae Haiku 2017 (Red Moon Press, 2018)
,
The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2016 (Red Moon Press, 2017)
Book:
edge of suburbia (Red Moon Press, 2021)
Prizes won: 

1st Place in the Haiku Society of America Contest for Best Unpublished Haibun of 2019; 

An (Cottage) Prize in The Genjuan International Haibun Contest, Japan, 2018; 

1st Place in the Haiku Society of America Contest for the Best Unpublished Haibun of 2017; 

2nd Place in The Robert Spiess Memorial 2018 Haiku Awards; 

Honourable Mention in  The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Haiku Invitational 2018; 

Honourable Mention in The Irish Haiku Society International Haiku Competition 2017; 

Special Mention in The British Haiku Society Awards 2016; 

Honorable Mention in The Key West Heritage House, 14th Annual Robert Frost Poetry Contest 2008

 

 

Personal Favorites

Favorite authors: 
William Carlos Williams; Hilda Doolittle; Langston Hughes; Emily Dickinson; George Swede; Roberta Beary; Jim Kacian; Bob Lucky; Ray Rasmussen; James Tate; Kevin Young; Kay Ryan; Tomas Transtromer
What I'm reading now: 
The Tradition by Jericho Brown, The Kings of New York by Michael Weinreb

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Identifies as: 
German American
Prefers to work with: 
Any
Fluent in: 
English, German
Born in: 
Otterbach
Germany
Raised in: 
Otterbach
Germany
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Oct 24, 2021