Jumble Box

     I'm thrilled to received my Jumble Box in the mail! I'll be reading a chapter each day so that I have a delicious treat to look forward to. It's like a box of chocolate. I'll never know what I'll discover. Just like when I found out that one of my haiku was selected by Ron C. Moss. I am so grateful for his artwork! Thank you so much, Michael Dylan Welch, for including several of my haiku in this amazing collection! I am thrilled to be among 100 poets from around the world. To purchase the anthology at Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/7511567

NaHaiWriMo January 2015 prompter

     I had an enjoyable task as prompter in NaHaiWriMo on Facebook. I'm glad I was able to leave a little mark through an interview by Michael Dylan Welch. Please click the link below to find out how I got started with haiku, what NaHaiWriMo means to me, my three favorite haiku, and many more.

    

     http://www.nahaiwrimo.com/home/meet-the-prompters/chrissi-villa

Haiga Guidelines

     Want to create an excellent haiga? Here are some helpful articles:

 

provided by Michael Dylan Welch, founder of NaHaiWriMo-

 

HAIGA

by Michael Dylan Welch

http://www.graceguts.com/haiga
 

 

LINKING AND LEAPING: A HAIGA PRIMER

by Michael Dylan Welch

http://www.graceguts.com/essays/linking-and-leaping-a-haiga-primer

 

 

provided by Linda Papanicolaou, editor of Haigaonline -

HAI + GA: EXERCISES IN LINKING TEXT AND IMAGE

by Linda Papanicolaou

http://www.haigaonline.com/issue8-2/workshop.html

HAI + GA PART II: RENKU-STYLE LINKING IN HAIGA
BY LINDA PAPANICOLAOU

http://www.haigaonline.com/issue11-1/issue11-1.html

HAI+GA PART III: WRITING IN ITERATIVE OR CAPTIONAL STYLE
by Linda Papanicolaou

http://www.haigaonline.com/issue12-1/issue.html

PUTTING THE "GA" AFTER THE "HAI" 

by Neal Whitman

http://www.haigaonline.com/issue10-2/issue10-2.html

STARLIT MOUNTAIN—HOW WHITE SPACE AND IMAGINATION WORK IN HAIGA by Jeanne Emrich

http://www.haigaonline.com/issue9-1/feature.html

CREATING HAIGA IMAGES: SOME CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT TEXT DESIGN by Ray Rasmussen

http://www.haigaonline.com/issue9-1/feature.html

With Cherries on Top

   The most awaited haiku and senryu collection, With Cherries on Top: 31 Flavors from NaHaiWriMo, is available now for FREE download here. Special thanks to the 31 prompters, the contributors, and most especially to Michael Dylan Welch for all his hard work in putting together this beautiful pdf book. 

     For each daily prompt, at least five haiku were carefully selected. I'm thrilled and honored  because aside from being one of the 31 prompters, three of my haiku are among the cream of the crop. Thanks to the NaHaiWriMo community for all the support and inspiration. 

     tide pool

     a gulls plucks a starfish

     along with my dream

     prompt by Patty Hardin: tide pool

                           

        

     hospital bed

     the way his eyes light up

     when he sees me

                   

     prompt by Gillena Cox: love

     cotton-candy clouds—

     days when I am

     one of the butterflies

     prompt by Cara Holman: childhood in summer
      

    Also included in the book are Michael Dylan Welch's fantastic photos, one of which is on the front cover.

 

31 Different NaHaiWrimo Prompters in August 2012

     Something new and exciting is going to happen this coming month! To find out, read the announcement of Michael Dylan Welch, founder of National Haiku Writing Month.

Dear NaHaiWriMos,

I’m pleased to let you know that, for the month of August, 2012, I’ve asked 31 different people to provide a single writing prompt for reach day of the month. I’ll be announcing the prompts each day, so you’ll discover not only a new writing prompt, but also learn who the day’s prompter is for each day. These 31 prompters include many of our past monthly prompters, plus a number of new folks. The prompters and prompts have all been selected, and the prompts are varied and fun, so August should be a particularly enjoyable month -- and hopefully a little different, to shake things up a bit.

Now, to make this idea even more fun, I’ve asked each of the 31 daily prompters to monitor all poems posted and to select at least five favourite poems written in response to their prompt. I’ve asked them to select haiku and senryu only (no haiga, but poems used in haiga can be considered). To be selected, poems should be previously unpublished (we'll assume so). So please post your best haiku and senryu, because the daily prompt providers will be on the lookout for their favourite poems from what you post (prompters, please also include one of your own poems if you write about your own prompt). If all goes well, I’d like to turn this into a PDF-format book that everyone can download for free. How does that sound?

In case you were wondering, I’m still working on the February book, which will be a grander and much larger print production. I plan to get that wrapped up by the end of August, but there are still a lot of variables. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for your patience on that project -- I’m making progress.

Meanwhile, regarding the August project, I’m mentioning it now in case any of you have questions. Ask away! And maybe mentioning it now will also build anticipation. Shucks, you might even want to encourage friends to join us. Please do!

Thanks to all of you for your enthusiastic ongoing participation in NaHaiWriMo! Isn't this place a hoot?

Michael Dylan Welch

Join the NaHaiWrimo community Facebook page here.
     

Cherry Blossom Centennial Stamp

     Have you run out of stamps? Make sure you purchase the cherry blossom stamps, the ones that were just released on March 24, 2012, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the gift of the cherry trees of Japan to US. I haven't seen them myself because each time I went to the post office, I was always told these Forever stamps have been sold out.

 

     Today, on the 11th of April, incredible news about these cherry blossom stamps were reported on The Washington Post. Nearly 1 million are being sold a day, exceeding all expectations! Read here for more details.

     Michael Dylan Welch was so thrilled when I told him the news. Why wouldn't he be? He and Emiko Miyashita have a waka (tanka) translation appearing at the backing paper for each set of twenty stamps. If you want to see the translation and read more about it, click this link leading to Graceguts.  

   

The Usage of Season Words

   Have you read any haiku that sounds artificial because of the unnecessary use of a season word? Or have you pinpoint a seasonal word or phrase that only applies to Japanese culture?
     Read Michael Dylan Welch's essay, Up With Season Words, and you'll be able to understand how Japan kigo are relevant in English-language haiku. You'll also discover how you can adapt the concept and principles of seasons words in English.
     According to him, season words do often improve the haiku, but aren't necessary. The three poems, which he illustrates in his essay, show his approach to season words. 
     When you decide to use season words to add depth to your haiku, always remember to carefully use them as "an anchor or 'setting' in time- like a gold ring that cradles a diamond." Read another of his essay here and you'll learn more about how to use seasonal reference effectively and avoid the common mistake of creating "weather report" haiku.   

Haiku Checklists

     Do you have your own haiku checklist, a set of guidelines to help you improve the quality of your work? If not, here are some valuable checklists.


a) Haiku Checklist by Michael Dylan Welch
    http://sites.google.com/site/graceguts/essays/haiku- checklist


b) The Practical Poet: Creating a Haiku Checklist by Michael Dylan Welch
    http://sites.google.com/site/graceguts/essays/practical-poet-creating-a-haiku- %20checklist


c) The Isnt's of Haiku by Lorraine Ellis Harr
    http://agonia.ro/index.php/poetry/195654/The_ISN'Ts_of_Haiku


d) Haiku Rule That Have Come and Gone by Jane Reichhold
    http://www.ahapoetry.com/AHI%20rules%20art.html


e) Suggestion For Beginners and Others by James W. Hackett (from Haiku in English by Harold G. Henderson)


    1. Life is the fount of the haiku experience. So take note of this present moment.
    2. Remember that haiku is a poetry of everyday life, and that the commonplace is its province.
    3. Contemplate natural objects closely . . . unseen wonders will reveal themselves.
    4. Identify (interpenetrate) with your subject, whatever it may be: "That art Thou."
    5. Reflect in solitude and quiet upon your notes of nature.
    6. Do not forsake the Suchness of things--nature should be reflected just as it is.
    7. Express your experience in syntax natural English. Don't write everything in Japanese 5,7,5 form, since in English this often causes padding and contrivance.
    8. Try to write in 3 lines, of approximately 17 syllables.
    9. Use only common language.
  10. Suggest, but make sure you give the reader enough, for the haiku that confuses, fails.
  11. Mention season when possible, as this adds dimensions. Remember that season can be implied by the poem's subjects and modifiers.
  12. Never use obscure allusions: haiku are intuitive, not intellectual.
  13. Don't overlook humor, but avoid mere wit.
  14. Rhyme and other poetic devices should never be so obvious that they detract from the content.
  15. Lifefullness, not beauty, is the real quality of haiku.
  16. Never sacrifice the clarity of your intuition to artifice: word choice should be governed by meaning.
  17. Read each verse aloud, for unseen contrivance is usually heard.
  18. Bear in mind Thoreau's advice to "simplify! simplify! simplify!"
  19. Stay with each verse until it renders exactly what you wish to convey.
  20. Remember R. H. Blyth's admonition that haiku is a finger pointing at the moon, and if the hand is bejeweled, we no longer see that to which it points.    

The Basics of Haiku

     Not all of my friends who check my blog know how to write a haiku. Some don’t even know what haiku means. So to acquaint them or readers who happen to drop by and want to learn more, I’ve made a list of links. This is also a very helpful guide for haiku poets who want to improve their skills.


1) Definition of haiku

    http://sites.google.com/site/graceguts/essays/a-definition-of-haiku
    http://www.withwords.co.uk/what.html

2) Brief history of haiku

    http://www.withwords.org.uk/history.html

3) Guidelines on writing haiku

    Bare Bones School of Haiku by Jane Reichhold
   http://www.ahapoetry.com/Bare%20Bones/bbtoc%20intro.html

    Becoming a Poet by Michael Dylan Welch Haiku
   http://sites.google.com/site/graceguts/essays/becoming-a-haiku-poet

    Haiku . . . Under the Bedsheets: Juxtaposition and Seasonal Reference by Michael Dylan Welch

   http://sites.google.com/site/graceguts/essays/haiku-under-the-bedsheets

4) Haiku Techniques

    Haiku Techniques by Jane Reichhold

    http://www.ahapoetry.com/AHI%20tech%20art.html

    How to Ginko by Tad Wojnicki

    http://www.haikupix.com/news

     These links have helped me a lot and I still review them from time to time. I hope by collecting these links, one will be interested in writing haiku. If not, it will be great if a haiku beginner will be able to learn more from this list.

     If any of the links has proven useful to you, please let me know. :-)