M. R. Defibaugh

Poet

Chesterfield, VA
Virginia US
Email: 
mrdefibaugh@gmail.com
Website: 
ko-fi.com/mrdefibaugh

Author's Bio

M. R. Defibaugh (b. 1985) is a Virginia-based poet and haiku enthusiast with muscular dystrophy. He has degrees in mathematical sciences (BA, University of Illinois at Springfield) and operations management (MS, University of Arkansas). His book Hurricane Warning: Poems (2019) was featured in Kirkus Reviews magazine (May 2020) and received a bronze medal in the Readers' Favorite contest.

Defibaugh's latest chapbook, Paperwhite Narcissus (2023), features over 40 haiku and senryu published from 2021-2023, appearing in numerous journals and other online publications. The poems' emotional force and precise imagery tell a story that reflects on and celebrates the entirety of the human experience.

Publications & Prizes

Anthologies:
telling the bees: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku (Red Moon Press, 2025)
,
Where the Mountains Were (Cuttlefish Books, 2025)
,
HSA Members' Anthology: Hauling the Tide (Haiku Society of America, 2024)
,
HSA Members' Anthology: Dawn Returns (Haiku Society of America, 2022)
,
Shaping Water: Erotic Haiku and Tanka (Moth Orchid Press, 2022)
,
HSA Members' Anthology: Visiting The Wind (Haiku Society of America, 2021)
Journals:
Cattails
,
Chrysanthemum
,
DailyHaiga
,
Drifting Sands
,
English-Speaking Union of Japan-Haiku
,
Failed Haiku
,
Frameless Sky
,
Frogpond
,
Humana Obscura
,
Kingfisher
,
Kokako
,
Lothlorien Poetry Journal
,
Mad Swirl
,
Medusa's Kitchen
,
Modern Haiku
,
Pan Haiku Review
,
Poetry Pea
,
Presence
,
Prune Juice: Journal of Senryu and Kyoka
,
Pulse
,
Ribbons: Tanka Society of America Journal
,
Scarlet Dragonfly Journal
,
Spillwords Press
,
Star*Line
,
Stardust Haiku
,
Synchronized Chaos
,
Take 5ive
,
The Heron's Nest
,
The Zen Space
,
Under the Bashō
,
Wales Haiku Journal
,
Whiptail: Journal of the Single-line Poem
Prizes won: 

Honorable Mention, The Haiku Foundation Monthly Kukai, June 2021; Commendation, The 13th Polish International Haiku Competition, 2023; First Prize, The Haiku Foundation Monthly Kukai, February 2024; Honorable Mention, The Haiku Foundation Monthly Kukai, August 2024

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Mar 12, 2025