Ruth Yarrow discovered haiku in the early 1970’s when developing a
course on the natural world as seen through world literature. She
taught ecology in colleges and environmental centers for several dozen
years, and worked for peace and justice as a volunteer. She and her
husband Mike moved from Ithaca to Seattle when their two adventurous
kids fledged, where they have worked for a decade on environmental,
peace and justice issues with Physicians for Social Responsibility and
Fellowship of Reconciliation. Newly retired, they revel in mountain
backpacking. Ruth has had well over 500 haiku published in the major
haiku journals and is author of four books of haiku. She has given
readings and workshops, judged contests, and served as editor and
Haiku Society of America regional coordinator. She finds that writing
haiku help her be aware of fleeting moments of awareness that enrich
life.