HAVING FUN WITH HAIKU

(and even shorter poems!)

For the last three years I have been introducing children and adults of all ages to the joy and immediacy and nuance of haiku poetry. Working from my deep love of the form - and some Japanese language ability! - I have been demystifying the process through workshops run both in and out of doors.
After a brief introduction to a few guidelines and examples from classic haiku poets (and not getting too stressed by syllable count!) participants take a notebook and fill it with raw sensory memories or observations. Then we start to write - and rewrite - and polish.
Finally, the poems are hung from a tree or a classroom wall to flutter in any passing gentle breeze. (Like snowflakes or blossom, depending on the season!)


Students hunting for haiku in Ampthill Great Park July 2019


Fieldwork notebooks


Finished haiku fluttering in the breeze at Leighton Park School