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Reading and Writing Haiku: A Brief Introduction

The basics of haiku are straightforward, making it accessible to just about everyone.  In English, haiku are traditionally written in the present tense in a format of three lines; the first line is composed of five syllables, the middle line of seven, and the last line of five, for a total of seventeen syllables.  But modern examples often vary from this 5/7/5 format.  The pronoun “I” is generally excluded, as are rhyme and metaphor; punctuation is often unconventional or nonexistent, with dashes or ellipses sometimes serving as breaks between images.

These norms evolved from an earlier poetry form, the renga, a linked, collaborative effort that begins with a three-line verse called hokku.  The great renga master, Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), also practiced writing hokku apart from renga, and is now recognized as the “father of haiku.”  But it wasn’t until poet and critic Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) advocated calling these compact verses “haiku” that it was formally acknowledged as an independent literary form.

The main purpose is to express a slice of life and, in so doing, enhance awareness of ourselves and the world.  Mitsu Suzuki, author of A White Tea Bowl: 100 Haiku from 100 Years of Life (Rodmell Press, 2008), has observed that haiku is “a practice of meditation and life…” that “helps us penetrate deeply into ourselves and cleanse ourselves.”

Probably the most well-known example is by Basho:

The old pond.

A frog jumps in —

Plop!

(trans. R.H. Blythe)

In this version of the Japanese original, the fundamental event is depicted through two primary images and an aural cue: out of the waters of stillness comes life, movement, and sound.  The emphasis here is on direct perception — the verse invites the reader to share the essence of the moment, without an obvious authorial persona.  As authors William J. Higginson and Penny Harter point out in The Haiku Handbook (Kodansha USA, 2013), the ideal of the Basho School-haiku is that “both the language of the poem and the mind of the poet should be transparent to the reader….”  Much has been written about these three lines, yet there’s a playful, even celebratory aspect to them that’s often overlooked, and this aspect presages Basho’s later work which stresses karumi, or “lightness of tone.”

While haiku generally doesn’t use the pronoun “I,” it nevertheless recognizes the person and the richness of human feeling — from wonder, ebullience and laughter to loneliness, anger, and sorrow.  Here’s one by Issa that’s somewhere in between the poles:

blossoms everywhere

this New Year’s Day — yet something

remains unopened

(version by j.g.)

A more thorough introduction to the subject would include reading a few anthologies and browsing through a handful of dedicated journals.  Or, you may want to start by reading the “four greats” — Basho, Buson, Issa, and Shiki.  As you do, you‘ll notice that their work often contains a reference to the season.  This practice stems from the hokku which traditionally contained an image to date it (cherry blossoms in early spring, for instance).  Many haikuists today continue to evoke nature through the use of official “kigo,” words that allude to the seasons and affirm our deep connection to the elements, and to plant, animal, and insect life.

Among the many Japanese poets who expanded the scope of nature-focused haiku is Keneko Tohta (1919-2018), who incorporated his WWII experiences as well as surrealist-like images akin to imagist poetry.  Americans such as Richard Wright, Jack Kerouac, Jane Reichhold, Nick Virgilio, and Elizabeth Searle Lamb continued to broaden the scope so that, now, it’s hard to imagine many topics that would be out of bounds.  Reading old and new haiku from around the world provides an opening into a dialogue that spans time and cultures.  Writing and sharing it with others, both in person at haiku meetings and in print and online journals, we can cultivate that dialogue within ourselves and our communities.

Suggested Reading

Seeds from a Birch Tree, Clark Strand, Hyperion, NY, 1997

Haiku Mind: 108 Poems to Cultivate Awareness and Open Your Heart, Patricia Donegan, Shambala, 2008

The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson, and Issa: edited by Robert Hass, The Ecco Press, NJ, 1994

The Genius of Haiku: Readings from R.H. Blythe on Poetry, Life, and Zen: The British Haiku Society, Hokuseido Press, 1995

The Haiku Handbook: How to Write, Teach, and Appreciate Haiku: by William J. Higginson and Penny Harter, Kodansha USA, 1985

A Zen Wave: Basho’s Haiku and Zen: Robert Aitken, Weatherhill, 1978

A White Tea Bowl: 100 Haiku from 100 Years of Life, by Mitsu Suzuki, edited by Kazuaki Tanahashi and Norman Fischer (Rodmell Press, 2008)

Resources

Haiku North America sponsors biennial conferences on haiku that include readings, panels, workshops, and more.  www.haikunorthamerica.com

Haiku Poets of Northern California sponsors an annual reading that’s open to the public, and a members only anthology.  www.hpnc.org

The Haiku Society of America promotes “the writing and appreciation of haiku and haiku related forms in English” and publishes the journal Frogpond.  www.hsa-haiku.org

Journals

Frogpond

Wales Haiku Journal

Hedgerow

Bottle Rockets

The Heron’s Nest

Modern Haiku 

Presence

Dodging the Rain

Mayfly

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Briefly Noted

Shiki (1867-1902) was one of the first of the modern Japanese poets to expand the traditional view of haiku as a practice strictly devoted to the natural world.  He introduced subjects as diverse as railroads, war, and baseball, into the mix.  A new book, Haiku as Life: A Kaneko Tohta Omnibus (Red Moon Press, Winchester, VA, 2019), adds to our understanding of modern haiku reform with the work of Keneko Tohta (1919-2018) by presenting over two-hundred translations of this influential critic, teacher, and poet.  In his introduction, Richard Gilbert draws from Tohta’s lectures, in which he suggests that, “If we are only to compose haiku on the life of ‘birds and flowers,’ failing to include the whole of life, not excepting humanity, our range of expression will become narrow as a result.”  Tohta’s early work doesn’t shy away from the war time topics he experienced first-hand such as air raids, torpedoes, gunfire, and the bones of the dead, while later examples incorporate surreal-like images, such as the one that depicts bank clerks as “fluorescent squid” and one that evokes “blue sharks” in a spring garden.  And although Tohta abjured the use of “kigo” or official seasonal words, his oeuvre is interwoven with images from nature, evoking perennial themes of impermanence and change.         

The winter issue of World Haiku Review, edited by Susumu Takiguchi, can now be found online: https://sites.google.com/site/worldhaikureview2/.  Congratulations to Marie Shimane, winner of the Editor’s Choice award for her superb haiku about a winter walk that traverses youth and old age.  WHR’s anthology, Fuga No Makoto: Ten Years of World Haiku, 2008 – 20017, edited by Rohini Gupta, has been published as an ebook and is available through Amazon.  The title, referring to Basho’s dictum “truth and sincerity in art,” is reflected in a soulful array of haiku ranging from classical to modern, and those that fall somewhere in-between.  Editor Takiguchi’s commentary offers both context and insight into some of the writers’ approaches.  Commenting on Lawrence Barrow’s haiku that depicts the swift-moving Kiyotaki River, for instance, she writes that it has “a story to tell, a drama to enjoy, and music to listen to,” while pointing out that it falls into the Japanese tradition of Utamakura — the poetic practice of alluding to beautiful sites in nature.  Recommended for novice and seasoned haijuns alike, as well as readers who just want to sample the diversity of the many voices heard here.       

Hidden River Arts Awards

In the Cool of Morning, was selected as a finalist for the Trilogy Award in Poetry by Hidden River Arts.  Based in Philadelphia, the organization is “dedicated to the service, support, and celebration of all artists.”  www.hiddenriverarts.wordpress.com

Poetry Prompts

Melissa Donovan’s article, A Selection of Poetry Prompts from 1200 Creative Writing Prompts, August 22, 2019, offers a wealth of ideas to jump start your writing.  www.writingforward.com

Warm wishes for a peaceful and happy new year!

 

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Picking Berries

So many of my favorite poems are about picking berries.  I’ve always loved one by Lisel Mueller, Picking Raspberries.  The first four lines are memorable: “Once the thicket opens/and lets you enter/and the first berry dissolves on your tongue/you will remember nothing/ of your old life”  (Alive Together, Louisiana State University Press, 1996, Baton Rouge, LA).  Mary Oliver has written two that I know and admire — Blackberries, and Blueberries (Devotions, Penguin Press, 2017, NY, NY), and there’s Galway Kinnell’s Blackberry Eating, that compares the ripeness of berries to “certain peculiar words/like strengths or squinched,/many-lettered, one-syllable lumps…”  (Collected Poems, Galway Kinnell, Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt, 2017, Boston, NY).  Then, there’s Seamus Heaney’s Blackberry Picking with its compelling turn at the end (Death of a Naturalist, Faber & Faber, 1966, London).

The Music of What Happens

Reviewing the BBC production of Seamus Heaney and the Music of What Happens (The Guardian, November 18, 2019), Rebecca Nicholson observes that the documentary “stands as an excellent tribute to the man and his work.”  Heaney’s poetry has beguiled readers since the publication of his first major collection, The Death of a Naturalist in 1966, and continues to do so.  Like his countryman, W. B. Yeats, to whom he’s often compared, Heaney has a gift for finding the music in both the somber and the prosaic, especially as it refers the rural life he knew and loved.  In his commentary on the title poem of The Death of a Naturalist, poet Andrew Spacey notes that the “language is typically rich with what has become known as clusters of sound — alliteration and assonance juxtaposed…”   This is poetry that begs to be spoken, not only read.  For Spacey’s line by line analysis — in effect a mini-course in poetic devices, go to www.owlcation.com.

Historic Greta Hall

If you’re in the market for an historic house with a literary pedigree, Greta Hall in England’s Lake District may be just your cup of tea.  The three-story, Georgian style house was variously the residence of poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey, and has hosted such notables as William and Dorothy Wordsworth, Lord Byron, and John Keats over the years.  Boasting ten bedrooms and a 335 year-old fireplace, it served most recently as a B&B.  Not to be missed: the Venetian window and view of the woods from Southey’s one-time study.  www.mansionglobal.com

Line Breaks and Enjambment

Hannah Huff’s article, Dear Bad Writers: Read This Poetry Line Breaks Guide offers some good tips on the effective use of line breaks and enjambment.  The examples are especially helpful.  www.notesofoak.com

Pushcart Nominations

Three poems that appeared in Rumors of Wisdom have each been nominated for a Pushcart Prize.  The poems are “Looking Out at the Stream,” “Shed,” and “Crow Makes a Scene.”  Many thanks to Concrete Wolf Press and Editor Lana Hechtman Ayers for this recognition.

Poetry and the Contemplative Life

In the article Poetry and the Contemplative Life (Commonweal, July 4, 1947), Thomas Merton wrote:  “It is obvious, then, that contemplation has much to offer poetry.  But can poetry offer anything in return, to contemplation?”  What poetry offers, I think, is an invitation to experience the sacred in our everyday lives, which Merton — himself a poet — likely intuited.  This may also be one reason so many people are instinctively drawn to it, both as readers and writers.

Wishing you all the joys of the season, and a happy and healthy new year!

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Poetry Contests: Pros and Cons

Every other small magazine seems to have a poetry contest of one kind or another, whether it’s an “editor’s choice” for an individual poem or group of poems, a themed contest, or a competition offering publication for a chapbook or a full-length manuscript.  It’s one way for editors to drum up interest in the magazine and cultivate new subscribers.  Obviously, contests are also an alternative for new poets to attract the attention of editors and get their work published.  From my experience, I’d say that participating in contests has more pluses than minuses.  I’ll address the pluses first.

I’ve found that the prospect of entering a contest has motivated me to compose new work, revise and polish older poems, and to reconceptualize a manuscript.  Recently, I entered a contest that asked entrants to write poems using select words — the one that interested me was “sforzando.”  I didn’t have a clue what it meant but, looking it up, I found that it was a mark on sheet music “to make a strong, sudden accent on a note or chord.”  That one word was enough to inspire a short poem which I gleefully sent out along with the fee (more about those later).  It really wasn’t a very impactful poem and I wasn’t surprised to hear back in short time that it wasn’t a winner.  The good news, though, is that I still appreciated the poem for what it was, and more importantly, for what it might be.  It wasn’t showy, and it wasn’t emotionally riveting like many of the winning poems I’ve read, but with a little more work and a few more lines, it came into focus — much improved I think, and very much on theme for a new collection I’ve been working on.

Winning a contest generally comes with publication and often a cash prize.  But, it can also be a confidence booster.  Winning the Louis Award (Concrete Wolf Press, 2019) for my first full-length volume, Rumors of Wisdom, gave me the boost I needed to tackle a second volume, and a third.  Although I’m still revising and polishing both, I don’t think I would have gotten this far without knowing that someone out there found my work engaging enough to publish it.

One of the downsides to contests is that the entry fees seem to be going up and up.  I recently decided to forgo one that charged forty dollars, and find that it pays to shop around for a suitable contest that doesn’t drain your wallet, or better yet, one that’s free.  (For a list of free writing contests, visit www.https//jerryjenkins.com and www.https//trishhopkinson.com.)  Also, keep in mind that many publishing houses have no cost, open submission periods for manuscripts and don’t require that a writer have an agent.  These “over the transom” submissions may seem like a long shot, but definitely shouldn’t be ignored.  Other firms prefer to see a book proposal first.

The other problem with entering contests is learning how to spot illegitimate ones from the real thing.  The Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (www.https//:clmp.org) discusses the importance of ethical guidelines for literary contests while recognizing that there is a range of ethical models.  Most legitimate contests post their standards along with guidelines — if they don’t, be wary of entering; one of the very real risks is that you may be signing away your future publishing rights by winning.  In her article, “Confessions of a Contest Junkie,” Carolyn Moore discusses the problem of poetry anthology “scams,” but just as valuable is her discussion of how to target your work for the right contest (www.https//winningwriters.com).

New Anthology Praised by American Library Association

The American Library Association’s BOOKLIST Magazine described the recently released anthology, Loon Magic and Other Night Sounds, as “uniquely tuned to the beauty and fear expressed in the night’s symphony…offering unexpected moments of connection and reconciliation.”  Kudos to Editor Whitney Scott of the TallGrass Writers Guild!

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Joy Harjo Appointed 23rd U.S. Poet Laureate

For Joy Harjo, newly appointed U.S. Poet Laureate, poems are “carriers of dreams, knowledge, and wisdom,” and have the power to change lives.  The author of eight books, including the recently released collection, An American Sunrise, Harjo is the first Native American to serve in the position.  She hails from the Muscogee Creek Nation and lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  In her memoir, Crazy Brave, she recalls growing up in poverty, her alcoholic father, and a first, failed marriage.  Poetry, she believes, “is a kind of music” that can “transform experiences that could potentially destroy people, a family, a person, to experiences that build connections and community.”  “Humanizing” and “healing” are two of her goals as poet laureate, Harjo told Lynn Neary in an interview with NPR   “I really believe that if people sit together and hear their deepest feelings and thoughts beyond political divisiveness, it makes connections,” she said.

In Memoriam

New York poet, performer, and artist John Giorno, 82, whose early poetry broke conventional boundaries and whose recent “text art” features graphic phrases against bold backgrounds, has died.  In 1967, he started Dial-a-Poem, a service that presented callers with short poems by Manhattan poets, and went on to collaborate with artist Brion Gysin and writer William Burroughs, among others.  A gay man, he spearheaded efforts to raise funds for people with HIV/AIDS and, in the 1970s, studied with exiled Tibetan teacher Dudjom Rinpoche in India, converting to Buddhism.  A retrospective of his work, organized by his husband, Ugo Rondinone, opened at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris in 2015, later traveling to venues in New York.  “John was filled with extraordinary generosity, presence, and humor, not to mention a deep drive to be part of conversations and collaborations with artists…we may never see the likes of someone like him again,” commented art dealer Elizabeth Dee to Art News.

Submissions

Reed Magazine, “California’s oldest literary journal” is currently open until November 1st for submissions of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and visual art.  www.reedmag.org/submit…..Emry’s Journal is open until November 1st for submissions in poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction.  For more information, visit www.emrys.org…..Crazyhorse, out of the College of Charleston, is open for general submissions until December 31st  and will also be accepting submissions for prizes in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction during the month of January.  www.crazyhorse.cofc.edu…..Allegro Poetry Magazine is currently accepting submissions for poems on the theme of “Home” until October 31.  www.allegropoetry.org   The Haiku Poets of Northern California is sponsoring a contest for haiku, senryu, and tanka (until October 31st), and rengay (until January 31st).  Prizes will be awarded and the winning poems will be published in the organization’s journal, Mariposa; for guidelines, visit www.hpnc.org. 

New Poems

Night Song received the grand prize in the TallGrass Writers Guild Contest and will appear in their anthology, Loon Magic and Other Night Sounds, available this month from Outrider Press (www.outriderpress.net).  My sincere gratitude to Editor Whitney Scott and to the judge, Diane Williams, for this award…..Invisible Ocean will appear in the October issue (volume 19) of The Healing Muse, the nonprofit literary and visual arts journal published by SUNY Upstate Medical University’s Center for Bioethics and Humanities (www.upstate.edu).  Founded by the late poet, BA St. Andrews, the journal focuses on themes of medicine, illness, disability, and healing…..White Camellias in November and Walking Among Redwoods will appear in the fall issue of California Quarterly, 45:4.  Edited by Pearl Karrer, it’s published by the California Sate Poetry Society (www.californiastatepoetrysociety.org)…..After Beauty will appear in the December issue of Linden Avenue Journal.  Founded by poet and essayist Athena Dixon in 2012, Linden Avenue offers a venue for “daughters of the diaspora” as well as others, and seeks work “that highlights the intersections between art and everyday life and gifts us with extraordinary imagery.” (www.lindenavelit.com)…..When it Appears will appear in Spiritus, A Journal of Christian Spirituality, Fall, 2019.  Published semi-annually by John Hopkins University Press, the peer-reviewed journal “covers research on Christian spirituality while fostering creative dialogue with non-Christian traditions.”  (www.press.jhu.edu)…..Thinking About Not Thinking will appear in issue #34 of Urthona, A Journal of Buddhism and the Arts, that includes in-depth essays, art features, and interviews (www.urthona.com).  Thanks to the editors and staff of all of these publications!

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The Ordinary in Haiku

To practice haiku is to be attentive to the ordinary, as Basho pointed out.  “If you describe a green willow in the spring rain it will be excellent as a renga verse.  Haikai, however, needs more homely images, such as a crow picking mud snails in a rice paddy,” he wrote.  (The Essential Haiku, Versions of Basho, Buson, and Issa, edited by Robert Hass).  Here’s a classic haiku by Basho that depicts the ordinary in nature (translated by Burton Watson):

     “Day by day

the barley ripens,

     the skylarks sing.”

In good times the crops ripen and birds sing, yet sometimes we forget how important these seemingly mundane events are.  Haiku such as these invite us to return our attention to everyday  subjects — the changing of the seasons, the music of tree frogs in the branches, mist enveloping the moon, just-washed leeks in a bucket.

The ordinary isn’t without its surprises, as in this observation by Buson:

a shaft of sunlight

on the sleeve of a paper robe

turns it to brocade *

What could be more unassuming than a paper robe?  Yet, in these lines, Buson reveals the ordinary and the extraordinary as one, related by a trick of light, a matter of perception.

Here’s another by Buson:

at year’s end, walking

along Cherry-Flower river —

garbage floating past *

This haiku might have been written today about any number of our polluted rivers.  While the sight of floating garbage may have been a sorry one for Buson, it nevertheless conveys an eye that isn’t attached to romanticized notions of beauty.

This focus on the ordinary in Japanese haiku can be found in Zen, too, as exemplified by the maxim byojo shin, kore michinari (ordinary mind is the way), attributed  to Zen master Mazu Daoyi.  But not all early haiku poets studied Zen, as Stephen Addiss points out in The Art of Haiku.  Many were followers of other sects such as Taoism, Confucianism, or Shintoism.

In this haiku from 1813, Issa evokes a still-popular form of Buddhism through an ordinary, everyday image, suggesting that the The Pure Land may be with us in this very moment, if we would only recognize it.

The Pure Land —

isn’t it here and now

in the morning dew?

*versions by jg

 

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Special Feature

Working in Multiple Genres: an Interview with Aline Soules

Interviewed by Jerome Gagnon

It’s a privilege to have poet and historical fiction writer Aline Soules as my guest today.  Author of Meditation on Woman (bit.ly/meditationonwoman) and Evening Sun: A Widow’s Journey (bit.ly/evening-sun), her poetry has appeared in such publications as Kenyon Review, Houston Literary Review, Poetry Midwest, and the Galway Review.  I thought it would be interesting to see what she’s up to these days and, in particular, to ask about her experience working in multiple genres.

Q. I know you’re a fairly voracious reader.  What are you reading these days? Do you read more for information, amusement, or some other thing?

A. Answer to your last question first:  Yes, yes, and yes—information, amusement, fun, the cereal box, I don’t care.  I read all the time and have several books going at once, depending on where I’m reading—my comfy chair, my outdoor chaise longue, in bed.  Right now, I’m reading the following: The Secret History of SOE, by William Mackenzie and Code Name: Lise: the true story of the woman who became WWII’s most highly decorated spy, by Larry Loftis, both as research for my novel; Lovers and Dancers, by Heather Ingman, for fun; some of the Collected poems of Louis Macneice (always read poetry); conversations with W. S. Merwin, by Michael Wutz and Hal Crimmel (so sad—no more poems from him).  As you can see, anything goes.

Q. Can you share with us some of your favorite poets and novelists?   What’s the appeal for you?  

A. So many poets.  I’ll start with Seamus Heaney, not just for his famous poems, like “The Field,” but also for Beowulf.  I’ve noticed that, in “English” classes, students are often presented with the Iliad or the Odyssey. That’s fine, but why not our English classic, Beowulf?  Heaney’s version is accessible and wonderful.  Gerard Manley Hopkins—I go back to him all the time.  The language, the imagery stun me. Many women poets, like Adrienne Rich, Carolyn Forché, May Sarton, Linda Gregerson, Rita Dove, Lucille Clifton, Elizabeth Bishop, Wislawa Szymborska—I could go on.  But I also like “dead white males,” which isn’t the popular choice these days. I remember the controversy over Robert Bly’s Iron John: a Book about Men, yet it’s proved to be one of his most enduring works, an international best seller and a start to the Mythopoetic men’s movement in the U.S.  There’s a danger in deciding that one’s ethnicity or gender has made one biased, thereby missing out on great language and thought, whether I agree with it all or not.  Today, we have new writers—Ocean Vuong, Sherman Alexie, Amber Tamblyn, Kei Miller, Morgan Parker. I’m trying to understand the appeal of Rupi Kaur, the “Instapoet,” but I admit to struggling with her work.  

Q. You’ve written poetry in the past and now you’re working on an historical novel.  Do you find that any of the skills for writing poetry apply to fiction, or are they very different?

A. Great question.  I use my poetry skills (if “skills” is the right word) in everything I write.  Poetic language is key anywhere—the ability to come up with the right words, the right image, the best phrase to convey a feeling or a thought in a way that resonates with readers and makes what you write memorable.  Writing is an endless struggle (why do we do this, again?), but, somehow, a struggle that’s worthwhile to me. In my current novel, I’m still not at the point of going through my work to struggle with the final language and phrasing, but, when I do (soon), it will be one of the more pleasurable parts of novel writing.  I should add that poetry has also helped in all my writing. During my academic career, I wrote many articles and book chapters, all of which were improved by my poetry practice. In fact, I start all my writing days with poetry, unless I have a pressing deadline.

Q. In an interview, I think Ocean Vuong said that his new novel (On Earth, We’re Briefly Gorgeous) was written, in part, as a letter to his mother.  How do you go about finding the right form (or forms) for a novel, or does it find you?

A. Forms are organic, I think, particularly in poetry, but also in other writing forms.  

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Even academic writing, with its introduction, method, results, and discussion/conclusion sections enables organic form within the structure.  My novel is historical fiction and I’ve discovered that it’s like a jigsaw puzzle in some ways. I’ve written a full draft (more than once) and I still find myself cutting up the summary of each chapter and moving the pieces around on my table to decide the best order for the story.  I may have a linear approach in my first draft (what happens? what happens next? etc.), but I won’t end up with that.

Q. Are you continuing to write poetry even as you work on a prose project?  If so, do you have any advice for writers on how to balance these two disciplines?

A. I do write poetry—all the time.  As mentioned above, I start with poetry when I sit down to write.  It might be ten minutes or two hours, depending on how the work develops. Then I turn to my novel.  I have no advice for writers on balancing multiple disciplines, other than to suggest that each writer must find his/her/eir path through the process.  When I also wrote academic articles and book chapters, I interspersed those with poetry, too. I’m sure that some writers practice one or the other at any

given time, rather than engaging with more than one at the same time, but starting with poetry gets me in my writing frame.  I’ve also noticed that when I’m “on a roll” with poetry, everything else is “on a roll,” too. The converse is also true.

Q. A sense of Time with a capital “T” seems to be all important in novels.  Even if they’re written conventionally in the past tense, they’re generally supposed to represent the present — or, in the case of historical novels, the “distant” present.  Where is your narrator located in terms of time? Have you encountered any challenges and/or benefits in exploring the notion of time in fiction? 

A. My novel is written in close third, past tense.  I’ve tried other points of view and other tenses, but have decided on this approach.  The idea of “representing the present” is really the idea of engaging the reader so that he/she/ey feels “present” with the main character.  I say character (singular) because I’m working in close third and the story unfolds from her point of view. I’ve never tried omniscient point of view, although the greats in the past used it all the time (Dickens, Thackeray, Trollope).  As for the notion of time in fiction, I’ve never explored this directly, but Alan Lightman has. I particularly love Einstein’s Dream, which I re-read periodically, but any of his books are fabulous.  He engages with physics principles, such as time. After all, who better?  As a physicist and a writer, he’s worked at Harvard and MIT, where he’s currently professor of the practice of the humanities.  

Q. Some writers advise that, once you have an outline, you should write straight through your first draft and not stop for anything, no editing or rewriting at all.  How do you feel about this, and what’s your approach?  

A. Ah, the pantser vs. plotter theme.  The pantser, e.g., Ellen Sussman, goes for what happens?  what happens next? and next? and next? (no outline). After that, she spends a year or two revising. The plotter, e.g., John Grisham, goes for plot everything out before he writes a single word.  After that, he writes. I like a combination. I start with a form of the pantser method, where I write scenes about what comes to me but, not too far into what happens, I make a rough outline. After that, I move back and forth. If I wake up with an idea that excites me, I write the scene while it’s “hot,” whether it’s next in line or not.  Otherwise, I follow and develop my outline and my scenes together.

In the end, what’s important about any method is that your reader makes “discoveries” along with you; otherwise, the reader won’t be engaged.  The action may be too predictable. Of course, some readers like predictability (e.g., romance novels), but, I want surprises. The pantser method leads me to discoveries that surprise me and those are key for my novel because the reader will be surprised, too.  I’m also endlessly amazed at how my characters tell me what to do. They go off on tangents I don’t expect — surprises. And that’s the joy of the written word, isn’t it? To be surprised, expanded, given an emotional journey as well as intellectual stimulation. Reading and writing and the book itself — what a great trio.  What a wonderful world.

 

aline_black_sweater_2017Find Aline Soules online at http://allinesoules.com,@aline elisabeth, https://www.facebook/com/alinesoulesauthor, and https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinesoules/. 

For Aline’s Q & A with me, Writing Contemplative Poetry, please visit her blog or the Interview section on this site (see main menu).  

 

(Note: I’ll be on hiatus from the blog through August, resuming in mid-September.  I hope you’ll join me then.)

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Haiku as Participation

Call it Haiku, by vincent tripi (bottle rockets press, 2018), comments on his own and others’ haiku, offering insight into the process and possibilities of practicing this brief form.  The first segment looks at direction, providing several examples from his own work.  Other segments explore “giving and taking,” “repetition,” “meaning,” and “where.”  Here’s a random sample of what you can expect to find in these pages: “A mere shift from consideration of haiku as heightened awareness to the consideration of haiku as a moment of participation can influence abundantly the quality of one’s work.”  And this: “Every haiku, by nature, is a nurturing balance between what must be said, what’s not to be said, what’s already been said, and what we are learning to say…”  A small classic with a generous heart, and a must-read for anyone who writes haiku.

Teaching Haiku

Jeannie Martin’s article, “Thoughts on Teaching and Learning Haiku,” offers some practical tips for teaching haiku to adults.  It’s available in PDF on the Haiku Society of America website at www.hsa-haiku.org.  With over ten years of experience in the field, Martin writes that “teaching haiku is something like the form itself: direct, immediate, and responsive to time and place…..not a matter of expert-to-student but instead a participation in the deep sharing of the present moment.”  She presents three interactive lesson plans that are designed to get students writing haiku from the first session.  Also available on the site are plans for several haiku workshops, including one taught by Bruce Ross in tandem with his book, How to Haiku, A Writer’s Guide to Haiku and related Forms (Tuttle, 2002).

PEN America Fellowships

Since 1971, PEN America’s prison writing program has helped thousands of incarcerated writers.  They provide a Handbook for Writers in Prison, sponsor an annual prison writing contest, and conduct a Mentorship Program.  In addition, the Writing for Justice Fellowship “commissions writers — emerging or established — to create written works of lasting merit that illuminate critical issues related to mass incarceration…” For more information and Fellowship applications visit www.pen.org.

See: “Poetry in the Age of Mass Incarceration: Challenging the Dichotomy of Innocence vs. Criminality,” by Christopher Soto (www.poetryfoundation.com).   “How Poetry Can Free a Prisoner’s Mind,” by Dan Kedmey (www.ideas.ted).  “Tips for Teaching Poetry in a Women’s Prison,” by Dylan Peers McCoy & Shaina Cavazos (www.chalkbeat.org).

ESL

Do poetry and other forms of creative writing have a place in English as a Second Language classrooms?  Studies suggest that “experiences with creative writing — as writers, readers, or listeners — can enhance ESL writers’ linguistic and cognitive experiences with English, thereby helping them to better understand their worlds through English” (Dvorak, 2004; Hanauer, 2003).  While few language teachers are likely to have the luxury of devoting a lot of time to creative writing, most should be able to present a poem or other short work in class occasionally.  Students can discuss their reactions in short-writes or journals, prompted by questions such as, “What is your reaction to the poem?”  “Were there any specific words that caused you to feel that way?”  “What did you like/dislike about the poem and why?”  “Have you ever had any similar experiences?”  Any one of these questions can also be discussed by students in small groups and then summarized for the class by group representatives, providing valuable speaking and listening practice.

See: “Introducing and Reading Poetry with English Language Learners,” by Kristina Robertson, www.colorincolorado.org; “A Lesson Plan for ESL/EFL Students Using an Emily Dickenson Poem,” by Viorica Condrat, Internet Tesol Journal, www.iteslj.org.

 

News

jeromegagnonblog

A Celebration of Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Poets Shauna Hannibal, Fernando Marti, and Zack Rogow will read from their new books, as well as from the poetry of Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who recently turned 100.  “New Poetry and 100 Years of Ferlinghetti” will take place on April 15 at 7pm at Folio Books, 3957 24th Street in San Francisco.  Birthday cake will be served.

American Haiku Archives

According to their website, the American Haiku Archives in Sacramento, California, houses the “largest collection of haiku and related poetry books and papers outside of Japan.”  Founded in 1996, it’s the official archive of the Haiku Society of America.  Current AHA exhibits include a special tribute to Kiyoko and Kiyoshi Tokutomi.  Located in the California State Library Historical Room in Sacramento, CA, the exhibit is open to the public.  To learn more about the archives and their current exhibits, visit www.americanhaikuarchives.org.

Submissions

Reed Magazine, California’s oldest literary journal, will be accepting submissions for their annual contest from June 1 to November 1.  Prizes and publication are offered for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art.  www.reedmagazine.org…..Jericho Brown will judge this year’s poetry contest for the Crab Creek Review.  Submit up to 4 poems.  Winner receives $500 plus publication. www.crabcreekreview.org/contests.html ….. Beech Street Review, a quarterly online poetry journal, is accepting poetry submissions through the month of April.  Submit 3-5 poems.  www.beechstreetreview.com

W. S. Merwin

It’s hard to believe W. S. Merwin is gone.  It almost seemed as if his incomparable poems with their unexpected twists and turns would go on forever.  The former U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner died March 15thon Maui.  He was 91. In their citation for his 2005 collection, Migration, New & Selected Poems, the National Book Award judges wrote: “The poems in Migration speak from a life-long belief in the power of words to awaken our drowsy souls and see the world with passionate interconnection.”  A conservationist, Merwin and his late wife, Paula Schwartz, restored a former pineapple farm near Haiku, Maui, planting approximately 2700 trees.

Gabriel Okara

Nigerian poet and novelist Gabriel Okara died on March 25th in Nigeria.  He was 98.  His poem, “The Call of the River Nell,” won the Silver Cup for Poetry at the 1953 Nigerian Festival of the Arts and was published in Black Orpheus, the first English language journal of African literature.  Brenda Marie Osbey, editor of his Collected Poems, has written that, “It is with the publication of Gabriel Okara’s first poem that Nigerian literature in English and modern African poetry in this language can be said truly to have begun.”  He also wrote an experimental novel, The Voice (1964), the award-winning collection, The Fisherman’s Invocation (1978), and The Dreamer, His Vision (2005).