Haiku Resources

    (some resources I have found helpful as I attempt to embrace the art of writing haiku) (hat tip to fellow haiku-writer Mandy Smith, who suggested some of these)

 

Robert Hass' book, Essential Haiku, is great, as is William Higginson's Haiku Handbook.

 

Gerald England shares his essay, How to Write A Haiku , online. (He has also edited a book, The Art of Haiku, which I haven't read yet.)

 

George Marsh's haiku self-study pages are here: http://www.haiku.insouthsea.co.uk/teachbasho_self1.htm

 

William J. Higginson's site: http://haikai.home.att.net/main.html

 

Santoka Taneda's work:  http://thegreenleaf.co.uk/HP/Santoka/00santoka.htm

 

Jane Reichhold's essay on haiku techniques: http://www.ahapoetry.com/haiartjr.htm

 

I like this piece of David G's on "show, don't tell":   http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/ethicalesq/2007/06/03/too-many-tell-ems-psyku-lower-haiku-quality/

 

Reading a ton of haiku (e.g. http://haikuworld.org) can help, as might reading the judges' commentary after a contest when that's possible:

 

Virgilio contest winners (young people) with judges' comments:  http://www.hsa-haiku.org/virgilioawards/virgilio-judges.htm

"Still in the Stream" winners with commentary: http://www.stillinthestream.com/files/wabisabihaiku.html

 

And my 5-minute history lesson on haiku is here (turn your speakers on before clicking the arrow in the center of the image below):

 

 

 

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