Haiku Monday: Covers

This week our Haiku Monday theme has been inspired by our own Blowfish. 

This native New Yorker has  a professional  history as a former NYC executive art director

 for multiple publications owned by McGraw Hill, Macmillan or Medical World News. 

In the early years he also did stints with Look and Venture Magazines.

 After New York he taught Publications Design, Graphic Design, 

Publications Production and Typography.

Blowfish has a facebook page which receives,

 quite literally,

 hundreds of contacts daily from former students. They send images of their latest art, their productions,

 their children, their lives both personal and professional. They send thank you notes regularly. 

Since 2008 there have been so many  which touch our hearts,

 " Hey Prof, here is a picture of my three boys. I can still provide for them because you 

 forced 

 me to be proficient in skills  which saved my job.

 I hated you then.

 I now say a prayer for you every night." 

Did you read Newsweek is going out of production? 

Mobile media is replacing  print media. 

Progress.

Blowfish is in favor of progress, what is new, improved, easier, wiser, greener.

 But he does not believe it  is necessary to torch the past in order to embrace the future.

 He thinks there is value, and room for, both.

When we are out and about in antique stores or  collector shows, 

Blowfish

 always looks through the magazines. 

He looks for "his" magazines first. 

 Those with his name on the masthead, some have him listed in the general art department roster, 

then they climb the charts: 

 art associate, 

then assistant art director,

 then art director,

 then executive art director , 

then division executive. 

We all like to have mementos showing we made a contribution to our culture.

 That we matter

 That we are part of history.

 For Blowfish, his affirmation is magazines.

Blowfish never worked for The New Yorker. 

 But he picks up every one of these he ever sees and,

 starts right in telling stories of the covers, the artists, the photographers, the color separators, the printers who all contributed to the  regular production of an extraordinarily  well done magazine.

 The politics of a publication are never part of  his valuation of the publication. 

It's the design, the type, the art, the production.  

The magic

of pulling off an amazing feat week after week.

 For him these are the creative doers who got the job done.

 Brilliantly.

Debuting  in 1925,

  publishing 47 issues annually

 it still is famous for it's cover illustrations.

Our Haiku Monday Theme: The New Yorker  magazine covers.

  Pick one from this post or go online and pick ones which inspire you.

There are hundreds to choose from.

 The relationship between the visuals and the haikus 

will be key factors in the judging.

Our classic 5-7-5 format please

Because every season is well represented by the covers,

 seasonal references (kigo)  will count, 

as will the use of classic Kireji  (the cutting word) to divide, and unite,

 your haiku message.

This publication is famous for it's homage to artists

On their covers

Through their literary reviews

By their inclusion of fiction in every issue

Via the work of great cartoonists

  

We should aspire

 to honor these standards!

Excellent  haiku

to accompany

excellent covers

you all have

 talent

to share

I do have one more criteria:

Please

No political agendas.

Not this week

Some other time

Maybe

Have fun!

Happy weekend!

I look forward to your contributions!