Haiku Gratitude

This is a guest post by Michael Dylan Welch

Every four years, participants in National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo) get a bonus, and it’s happening in 2024. That’s because this year is a leap year, so we’ll have 29 days this February instead of 28. NaHaiWriMo has been celebrated since 2010 every February — the shortest month for the shortest genre of poetry.

The goal is to write at least one haiku a day for each day of the month, so the challenge is slightly harder when it’s a leap year, because you have to (get to?) write one additional haiku. Some folks say it’s harder to do this than to participate in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), held every November, where the goal is to draft a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. It can be harder because the discipline of distilling an observation down to just a single haiku is a challenge, but doing so consistently for the entire month is a deeper challenge.

For February, it’s important to write every day — you’ll miss out if you write all your poems on the last day. Writing every day helps you develop a haiku habit, and it also deepens your daily awareness as you seek out things to write about freshly. Each haiku can be something to be thankful for, but even difficult subjects are part of what your haiku can acknowledge. To help participants on Facebook, the NaHaiWriMo page (which has nearly 4,000 followers) provides daily writing prompts, which appear year-round even though February is the official month.

How can you participate? Just commit yourself to writing at least one haiku a day during February and have a go! It’s more fun if you can share your poems, though, so challenge a friend to join you, or post your poems on your blog or on Facebook (use the #NaHaiWriMo hashtag if you like, which also works on Twitter/X and on Instagram), or post them to the NaHaiWriMo page on Facebook, whether you choose to follow the prompts or not. If you normally write longer poems, this exercise can jump-start your writing day, but the haiku you produce can have their own value and don’t need to be viewed just as stepping stones.

NaHaiWriMo is also an opportunity to learn more about haiku. Most of us were taught just to count syllables, but there’s so much more to it, such as employing a seasonal reference (kigo in Japanese) and giving the poem a two-part juxtapositional structure (equivalent to using a cutting word, or kireji in Japanese). It’s the relationship of these two parts that typically “make” the poem, usually with some sort of intuitive realization you get when you understand the relationship, whether subtle or more obvious. For example, here’s a poem of mine that won first place in the annual Henderson haiku contest sponsored by the Haiku Society of America:

meteor shower . . .
a gentle wave
wets our sandals

What does the first line have to do with the second and third? It’s easy to imagine yourself at a beach in August (when the Perseid meteor shower happens). You’re so busy looking up that you don’t notice that gentle wave at your feet. A deeper realization is that celestial objects (especially the moon) are what cause the tides, creating a sort of grand loop of realization — what you’re appreciating above you is also affecting what is below you. At the very least, I hope readers of this poem receive a feeling of peace and contentment and a sense of awe at the wonders of nature — nature that isn’t just observed and distant but also touching us intimately. I use objective description here to create a subjective effect, and this is much harder to sustain than most people seem to realize.

Haiku is indeed a chiefly objective poem, trusting images to bring about emotional effects in readers. By avoiding most judgment, analysis, and subjective conclusion in your haiku, you can learn to control what you say in any kind of writing. Knowing when to show rather than tell applies to haiku more deeply than any other kind of writing. This withholding also empowers readers to engage with the poem. Louise Glück once said that a good poem should summon ideas or feelings rather than impose them. So, if your haiku is too subjective or analytical, you impose your feelings on the reader rather than letting the reader have those feelings for themselves. As I say in my haiku workshops, don’t write about your feelings; instead, write about what caused your feelings.

If you’ve ever assumed that haiku was just 5-7-5 syllables, do yourself a favour and read “Becoming a Haiku Poet” and some of the other essays on the Further Reading page on my Graceguts website. This invitation goes double if you’ve ever taught or written about haiku and said it was 5-7-5. In Japanese they count sounds that differ from syllables (the word “haiku” itself is two syllables in English but counts as three sounds in Japanese). Consequently, despite how widely haiku is mistaught in English, a pattern of 5-7-5 syllables is actually a violation of the Japanese form rather than a preservation of it. And this emphasis on syllable counting too often obscures other targets for haiku that are more important.

A poem with 17 syllables in English can still be an effective haiku if it hits other targets, however (even though it will be long compared with a typical Japanese haiku). Here’s an example of mine:

tulip festival —
the colours of all the cars
in the parking lot

Tulips tell you it’s spring, the em dash marks the poem’s cut or turn (equivalent to the cutting word in Japanese), and the words are purely objective. I hope it’s clear from the poem that attending the tulip festival (this one at Roozengaarde near Mt. Vernon, Washington) made me more aware of the shape and colour of the cars. I hope there’s a feeling of wholeness and connection in this realization.

As Billy Collins once said, haiku poems frequently demonstrate existential gratitude. By practicing the art of haiku, whether for National Haiku Writing Month or not, you can not only hone your writing experience but also deepen your gratitude for life. And when it’s a leap year, as it is this year, you get one extra day to express your gratitude.

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Michael Dylan Welch is president of the Redmond Association of Spokenword, curator of SoulFood Poetry Night, and director of the Seabeck Haiku Getaway. He has published dozens of poetry books, and his poems, translations, essays, and reviews have appeared in hundreds of journals and anthologies in more than 20 languages. Michael runs graceguts.com, nahaiwrimo.com, rengay.com, and westernwashingtonpoetsnetwork.org, among other poetry sites.

Photo credit: Dean Davis

INVITATION: 2023 Seabeck Haiku Getaway

2022 Seabeck Haiku Getaway

This is a guest post by Michael Dylan Welch

Haiku Northwest’s Seabeck Haiku Getaway returns for its 16th annual retreat Thursday, October 26 to Sunday, October 29, 2023, directed by Michael Dylan Welch. We’ll be meeting at the scenic Seabeck Conference Center in Seabeck, Washington, with its historic campus of heritage and new buildings (we’ll be meeting in the brand-new Pines building) between the woods and the lagoon, next to the oyster-shell beaches of Hood Canal, with views of the (hopefully snow-capped) Olympics rising above us. And all amid the height of autumn colors.

Our gathering of haiku poets has attracted participants from across the United States and Canada, as well as Mexico, Japan, and Australia. This year’s theme is “Gifts of Nature,” and our featured guest is Jeff Hoagland, a naturalist and educator from New Jersey. He will lead attendees on haiku-writing nature walks before dawn and at night during the full moon, plus during the day at nearby Scenic Beach State Park. We’ll explore how a deeper awareness of nature can deepen self-awareness and help to generate better haiku poems.

We’ll also be welcoming David Lasky to give a presentation and workshop on haiku comics. Other speakers include Lucien Zell from Prague, plus John Burgess, Terran Campbell, Terry Ann Carter (former Haiku Canada president), Curtis Manley, Ce Rosenow (former Haiku Society of America president and current editor of the academic haiku studies journal, Juxta), Jacob Salzer (editor of the HSA’s Frogpond), and Michael Dylan Welch (editor of First Frost).

We’ll enjoy haiku readings by Cheryl Berrong, Aidan Castle, David Berger, P. H. Fischer, Annette Makino, Jacquie Pearce, Jim Rodriguez, Angela Terry, and our featured guest. We’ll also be announcing the winners of the annual Porad Award for haiku, now celebrating its 20th anniversary. We’ll have a panel discussion on “The Nature of Nature,” a workshop on surreal haiku, a session on how haiku techniques can empower any other writing, four “Write Now” instant haiku-writing sessions (led by Lisa Gerlits, Alan Harvey, Connie Hutchison, and Helen Ogden), anonymous workshops, late-night collaborative writing, much socializing, and shared meals in the dining hall (included with registration). We’ll also have a cake to celebrate Haiku Northwest’s 35th anniversary.

The Puget Sound Sumi Artists will present a display of their haiga and sumi-e artwork, together with haiku comics by David Lasky and John Burgess, plus handmade art books by Terry Ann Carter and Joanna Thomas. We’ll also have a silent auction and an extensive haiku book fair. Attendees can submit to and will also receive a retreat anthology. And if you can join us, look for the Haiku Sputnik, the bouncy bridge, and a not-so-surprise appearance by Captain Haiku.

Whether you’ve written haiku for years, are new to it, or curious to try it out to see how it might help your other writing, please consider attending. It’s not just about counting syllables — and we’re a warm and welcoming community. We already have about 55 people registered, and it’s still possible to register for all or part of the weekend, or to come as a day visitor.

For details, please visit the Seabeck Haiku Getaway overview page, the schedule page, and our registration page. Although these pages say registration closes October 19, we do still have extra rooms for overnight stays, and can always easily accommodate day visitors, so please do inquire even after October 19. If you have questions, you can reach me at WelchM@aol.com.

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Michael Dylan Welch is president of the Redmond Association of Spokenword, curator of SoulFood Poetry Night, and director of the Seabeck Haiku Getaway. He has published dozens of poetry books, and his poems, translations, essays, and reviews have appeared in hundreds of journals and anthologies in more than 20 languages. Michael runs graceguts.com, nahaiwrimo.com, rengay.com, and westernwashingtonpoetsnetwork.org, among other poetry sites.

April 17

Today, April 17, is International Haiku Poetry Day. If you’re looking for ways to celebrate, consider:

• The Haiku Foundation offers links to eight years’ worth of collected films from the HaikuLife Haiku Film Festival (2023 yet to come).
• Read some haiku sequences by Michael Dylan Welch (or, really, just about anything else on his site, Graceguts).
• Visit the Haiku Northwest website to see what’s on the calendar (and maybe mark your own calendar for the Seabeck Haiku Getaway, October 26-29, 2023).
• See what’s going on at Haiku Canada.
• Browse the many offerings at the Haiku Society of America website, including the Haiku Book Awards and samplings from the current issue of the HSA journal, Frogpond (you can also find Frogpond on Instagram).
• And finally, first things last: If you’re new to haiku, cast off your classroom induction to 5-7-5 syllable-counting haiku by reading Why “No 5-7-5”? by Michael Dylan Welch, then enjoy the illustrated Haiku: A Short Introduction – An Old Pond Comic by Jessica Tremblay.

Redmond celebrates

In Redmond, Washington, the holiday season literally comes to light with the month-long celebration of art and light known as Redmond Lights. Redmond’s Downtown Park is illuminated every night from 5:00pm to 11:00pm, December 1, 2022, through January 4, 2023, accompanied by a variety of gatherings, parades, festivities, and contests.

Art/light installations by sixteen artists are featured in the downtown display, including “Holiday Haiku” by Michael Dylan Welch, shown above in pre-event test mode. The five-minute video of Welch’s haiku will be projected on the Buoyant Pavilion stage throughout each evening’s celebration. See the light, starting tomorrow.

meanwhile, in the other Washington

In the heart of the Washington, DC, central business district, known as the Golden Triangle, signs of spring are everywhere. The annual Golden Haiku contest, which this year attracted more than 2,900 original haiku submissions from around the world, has placed more than 200 haiku placards around the neighborhood. They will remain on view into early May. Learn more about the contest and preview the haiku that are on display. You may find some familiar names (including Sheila Sondik, above, Carole MacRury, and Michael Dylan Welch).

coming soon…

Although still deep winter, February holds hope that spring will arrive once again. The snowdrops pop up and National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo) settles in for its 28-day extravaganza.

If you’re haiku-curious, check out this guest post by Michael Dylan Welch, browse the many offerings on the NaHaiWriMo site, find daily prompts on the NaHaiWriMo Facebook group, view daily haiku selections in the English edition of The Mainichi, the oldest daily newspaper in Japan, and for more, more, more visit the haiku archives at Captain Haiku’s Secret Hideout.

Further resources:

• Haiku Canada
• The Haiku Foundation
• Haiku Northwest
• The Haiku Society of America

And if you’re ready to try your hand, the Golden Haiku Poetry Contest is open for submissions of original, self-authored haiku on the theme “Reboot and Rebloom” through Sunday, February 6, 2022. (We’ve mentioned this one before.)

more words on walls

The Poetry Society of America has just announced a major new public poetry project featuring the haiku of Richard Wright (September 4, 1908 – November 28, 1960).

A grant from the Downtown Brooklyn + Dumbo [Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass] Art Fund will support Seeing Into Tomorrow, which will transform poems by Richard Wright into large-scale installations on Brooklyn walls.

Best known for his searing depictions of racial injustice in books like Native Son and Black Boy, Wright spent the final 18 months of his life creating his own distinctive versions of haiku.

Seeing Into Tomorrow is one of 12 public art projects supported by the Downtown Brooklyn + Dumbo Art Fund, which seeks to enhance public space, increase access to cultural programming, and connect the neighborhoods of Downtown Brooklyn and Dumbo.

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Richard Wright photo

NaHaiWriMo

It’s already February 6, but if you haven’t started your haiku-a-day for National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo), it’s not too late to catch up!

First, go to NaHaiWriMo and have a look at the mind-bending number of options Michael Dylan Welch has provided there. If you’re overwhelmed, and not already a haiku pro, the Haiku Checklist offers a good introduction.

If you’re looking for prompts, Michael provides this month’s daily prompts on this Facebook page and you’re encouraged to share your haiku on the main NaHaiWriMo Facebook page (simply Create Post, type in your haiku, and click Post). (By the way, daily prompts are a year-round thing, with guest prompters each month. Many of the prompts from previous years have been archived on the Daily Prompts page and the remainder will be added, Michael assures us, eventually.)

Also note that there will be two global NaHaiWriMo poetry readings: Saturday, February 27, 2021, 6:00pm Pacific, and Sunday, February 28, 9:00am Pacific.

For more inspiration, listen in to Tom Maxedon’s NaHaiWriMo radio interview with Natalie Goldberg and Michael Dylan Welch talking about haiku.

Happy haiku-ing!

Seabeck Haiku Getaway this weekend!

Haiku Northwest’s Seabeck Haiku Getaway celebrates its thirteenth annual retreat Friday, October 30, to Sunday, November 1, 2020, this year via Zoom, all free. More than 200 attendees have already registered, but it’s still possible to sign up and participate. (No previous haiku experience required!)

Activities include multimedia readings, workshops, and presentations by Kelly Sauvage Angel, Susan Antolin, Chandra Bales, Roberta Beary (Ireland), Brad Bennett, David Berger, Maxianne Berger (Quebec), Melinda Brottem, Nicholas Klacsanzky, Yvette Nicole Kolodji, Annette Makino, Dorothy Matthews, Tanya McDonald, Tom Painting, Sally Penley, Kala Ramesh (India), Bob Redmond, Mike Rehling, Ron Swanson, Cathy Tashiro, Julie Warther, and Lew Watts. Michael Dylan Welch is serving as retreat director.

For more information, including the schedule, registration link, and list of attendees, visit the Haiku Northwest Seabeck Haiku Getaway page.

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Thanks to Michael Dylan Welch for the info!

haiku and friends

This haiku contest notice comes with a couple of caveats: 1) the contest rules insist upon the 5-7-5 syllable pattern, and 2) the contest is open to University of Iowa alumni, faculty and staff, students, and friends of any age, but there’s no information about what qualifies you as a “friend.”

If you’re still interested, the Hawkeye Haiku Contest is open through November 18, 2020. Read all about it.