Hello everyone, I am honoured to be a team member of the pointed  radishes.

My haigo (haiku pen name) is an'ya, which conceptually alludes to 'a peaceful light in the moonless night'.

Enjoying an anchoritic' sort of lifestyle in the USA, on a mountaintop in Oregon, I live with my husband of 32 years Together, we care for my mother, and his mother; plus 2 Wolf Dogs, 2  Balkan Mountain Hounds, 1 Jack Russell Terrier, 1 Pom, and a Black and Tan coonhound. We raised one beautiful daughter who now is happily married, and a poetress, herself.

My background is mainly in teaching children, though I was a Nascar track trophy girl at one point in time; ran an ethnic catering business off and on over the years, and taught Slavic/Balkan dance troupes. As far as poetry goes, I have been composing various types for many years, although now haiku is my first passion, with tanka as a second. At present, I am the Director/editor for WHCbeginners, and have just recently accepted from Jeanne Emrich, the editorship of Haiga Online,  my first issue due out  in June of this year.

Being a Christian gipsie of Serbian-American heritage, I have a little of the wild west in me, yet a little Eastern European as well; albeit a tremendous help when I pen haiku. Someone  once told  me that I write 'western haiku with a Japanese flair' which is truly a great compliment.

I would like to wish everyone in this tournament the very best.

long life & good health . . . an'ya (aka Andja Petrovic')

website: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Park/1110/index.html
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