Celebrating International Haiku Day with Amy Losak: Happy National Poetry Month!

by Amy Losak

Today is International Haiku Day, according to the Haiku Foundation. Celebrate with haiku lovers around the world with these by Amy and her mother, Sydell Rosenberg!

You met Amy last week when her mother's book for children, H is for Haiku: a Treasury of Haiku from A-Z by Sydell Rosenberg, came into the world.

Amy, why do you practice haiku?

The economic but endlessly evocative qualities of haiku -- saying a lot with few words and in few lines; leaving things out so readers can "fill in" their own meanings -- is what makes this poetic form challenging, sometimes frustrating, and ultimately rewarding. 

by Amy Losak

Amy adds: For me, a haiku poem rarely occurs in a flash of inspiration -- a "Eureka" moment that needs no revision. Haiku, despite (or perhaps because of) their brevity, can take a long time to polish. The poem may never be "perfect." I am rarely satisfied. I sometimes have several versions of a poem, and I go back and forth with changes and my preferences, even after submission or publication.

And I’m learning that this is okay. Haiku is about more than craft and the end product put down on the page. Haiku impels me to slow down, take a breath, be in the moment and deeply observe my surroundings. It is an act of both focus and flow. Writing haiku takes practice and discipline, but it shouldn’t be intimidating (though I admit I sometimes am intimidated!). As we observe and write, it’s fine to allow ourselves to “play” too. Still, I’m striving to hone my haiku.

Thanks for these insights into this deceptively simple poetic form, and thanks for sharing your haiku. Here are three from Sydell Rosenberg, (1929-1996):

(all images from pixabay)

If you want to learn more about haiku, a wealth of online and social media resources are at your fingertips. So Amy and I hope you will haiku, too. Enjoy!

H is for Haiku: Happy National Poetry Month!

Happy Book Birthday tomorrow to Amy Losak and, posthumously, Sydell Rosenberg, Amy's mother. Amy has worked long and tirelessly to honor her mother's desire to publish a children's book of haiku--and now it's here! Penny Candy Books proudly releases H is for Haiku: a Treasury of Haiku from A to Z by Sydell Rosenberg, illustrated by Sawsan Chalabi on April 10!

I featured Amy last April here, and she offered an update below. 

Why haiku, Amy?

I started on this unusual journey several years ago, thanks to my mom, Sydell Rosenberg, a teacher and charter member of the Haiku Society of America and served as secretary in 1975. HSA was founded in New York in 1968. This year, it celebrates its 50th anniversary. I’m a member now, as well.

Mom wrote haiku and senryu for a long time – I think about 30 years. Mom also studied the art and craft of these forms. She published her first haiku in 1967, I believe, in a journal titled, American Haiku. Over the years, her work (not just poetry, but also short stories, word and literary puzzles, and more) was published in a variety of media, including journals and anthologies. Her senryu even was featured in a novel public art project called Haiku On 42^nd Street in 1994. Short poems were displayed on the marquees of old movie houses in the heart of New York City.

Tell us how H is for Haiku came to be.

Despite her accomplishments as a writer, Syd very much wanted to publish a kids’ book: a haiku A-B-C reader. She started submitting at least one manuscript to publishers in the 1980s – perhaps even in the 1970s. Years after she passed away in 1996, I picked up where she left off.

Along the way, I did other things to bring her “city haiku” (as she called her work in the classic 1974 text, The Haiku Anthology) to the public, especially kids. Among several projects, I have partnered for several years with a New York nonprofit arts education organization, Arts For All. Mom's haiku have been used in a Bronx and Queens public school to teach the basics of painting, drawing and collage; music; and theater. I view mom’s haiku as miniature stories, in a way, with characters and plots – and many have a lively, appealing visual quality. They pair well with other art forms.

But the ultimate goal has been the book. 

          "This is a dream come true,
          at last – not only for my mom,
          but her family."

                             Syd Rosenberg and her daughter, Amy (photo submitted by Amy)

Wonderful haiku poetry is being written today around the world. It truly is a global, diverse – and very generous -- community.

If you want to learn more about haiku, there is a wealth of online and social media resources available. So I hope you will haiku, too. Enjoy!

Congratulations, Amy, on the release of H is for Haiku! Readers, I'm featuring some of Amy's and Syd's haiku on April 17, International Haiku Poetry Day. You'll want to stop by and enjoy! 

Happy International Haiku Day! National Poetry Month

In honor of  International Haiku Poetry Day, I’m pleased to present Amy Losak of Teaneck, NJ. Amy is—well, why don’t I let her introduce herself?

I am a highly experienced public relations professional specializing in healthcare. I have developed a love for writing short poetry, notably haiku and senryu, and have published them in Failed Haiku, Prune Juice, hedgerow, Under the Basho, the Asahi Haikuist Network and The Daily Haiku. I also expects my poems to be published this year in Newtown Literary, Modern Haiku and Pulse – Voices From the Heart of Medicine.

Wow! That’s a whole lotta haiku! What can you tell us about this day?

In April, National Poetry Month, April 17 is International Haiku Poetry Day, according to the Haiku Foundation.

How were you drawn to this poetic form?

I write haiku and senryu. I’m not very good, but I'm slowly improving as I continue to read the work of gifted haijin (haiku poets) and write them myself. I enjoy the process. I started on this unusual (for me) journey several years ago, thanks to my mom, Sydell Rosenberg (1929-1996), a charter member of the Haiku Society of America. HSA was established in NY in 1968 and next year, it will celebrate its 50th anniversary.

 

As a result of my efforts to revive and preserve some of her literary legacy, Syd's themed haiku and senryu picture book will be published by Penny Candy Books in spring of 2018. I also have a successful partnership with a New York nonprofit arts education organization, Arts For All. Mom's micro-poems are used in one Queens and one Bronx public school to teach the basics of painting, drawing and collage; and music and theater. They are like miniature stories in some ways, with characters and plots, and they are very visual.

Congratulations, Amy and Sydell! What a wonderful way to honor your mother’s memory and talent. 

What can you tell us about haiku? The economy but endlessly evocative qualities of haiku -- saying a lot with few words and in few lines; leaving things out so readers can "fill in" their own meanings -- is what makes this poetic form challenging, sometimes frustrating, and ultimately rewarding. For me, a haiku poem rarely occurs in a flash of inspiration -- a "Eureka" moment that needs no revision. A short haiku can take a long time to polish. And for me, it may never be "perfect." I am rarely satisfied with my work.

And I’ve learned that’s okay. Haiku is about more than craft and the end product put down on the page. Haiku impels me to slow down, take a breath, be in the moment and observe my surroundings, in order to capture my impressions and ideas succinctly. It is an act of both focus and flow. While writing haiku takes practice and discipline, it shouldn’t be intimidating. As we observe and write, it’s fine to allow ourselves to “play” too. 

A world of wonderful haiku are being written today. It truly is a global community.

If you want to learn more about haiku, a wealth of online and social media resources are at your fingertips. So I hope you will haiku, too. Enjoy!

Thank you, Amy, for your generosity in sharing your haiku and Sydell's, and for telling us more about this form of poetry! Amy also shared this picture of herself and her mother.

Readers, do you haiku? Please leave comments for Amy below.

It's Peach Season!

Yes! It is time to celebrate the season of abundant produce, and particularly peaches! We are so fortunate that a local hardware store trucks in lugs each year from Western Colorado. This year's load (or lode, as I think of it) comes from Black Bear Orchards in Palisade. Yes, we got a whole lug. No, that is not too much for two people--at least not the two people at our house. 

This year's poem for peach season is a haiku: 

slices of sunshine

slide gentle juice down my throat,

cozy taste of home.

See last year's peach season poem here.

What flavors do you savor this season? Here, everything's peachy!

(photos by Jane Heitman Healy, c 2014)

Hai-KOOL! National Poetry Month

Spring has been slow to arrive where I live, so instead of whining I decided to try writing a couple of haikus about the situation. I am calling them "hai-kools" for the weather they represent. Check out another playful form of haiku on Laura Purdie Salas' blog, where she is writing a riddle-ku a day for National Poetry Month.

Our dog, Watson, is always an inspiration.

wrestling with snowflakes

snapping them out of the air

Watson wins a round.

impending snowstorm

laughs at April calendar.

"Take that, Spring!" it says.

Haiku: Nature is Our Playground

(© Copyright Rich Daley and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence)

Many of us learned haiku poetry in elementary school because its three-line form reinforces the concept of syllables. Of course, this is pure mechanics. True haiku is usually about a season in nature and is written in the present tense. When you read a haiku, whatever you read about is happening now. Haiku often contains opposing ideas, giving this short poetic form a complexity not immediately evident.

The ancient poetic form began in Japan in the 1600's. The master Basho is still read and highly regarded today.

An example of Basho's haiku:

old pond . . .
a frog leaps in
water’s sound

Frog in garden pond in Davington, Faversham (pam fray) / CC BY-SA 2.0

Here's an example by Issa:

A red morning sky,
For you, snail;
Are you glad about it?

Snail on flowers by Jon Sullivan

Writing haiku well demands that the poet observe quietly and be mindful of all his or her senses.

This by no means reaches the master level, but is my own example:

luscious lilacs burst
into big purple bouquets
spreading scented spring

(copyright 2012, Jane Heitman Healy)

Monika Thorpe / CC BY 2.0

Author Bob Raczka and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds recognized haiku as a poetry form that boys can enjoy. Here is Raczka's introduction to their book Guyku:



The book features each season's outdoor activities, such as kite flying, rock skipping, listening to crickets, and looking at constellations, in haiku form. It's a fun book for all ages of boys AND girls. However, since some girls felt excluded because of the title, this author-illustrator team is at work on a version for girls.

A fun international haiku site for kids is Children's Haiku Garden. You can read haiku written by children around the world and submit your own (if you're a child).

Outside Japan, most haiku is written in English. There's even a Haiku Society of America!

What did you notice about nature today? Can you turn your observations into a haiku? Please share your observations and creativity in the comments. If you need some inspiration, see Round of the Seasons in Japan blog for beautiful pictures of that country and its gardens.

Thankful Thanku Challenge

(photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/happy_serendipity/5690212418/ by happy_serendipity)


Thanksgiving Day has just passed, but I try to be thankful every day. Poet Esther Hershenhorn invented a poetry form called "Thanku." Yes, it is based on the haiku, with the 3 line, 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables pattern, and the focus is on giving thanks. Here's my example:

(photo http://sweetsantuary.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/envelope-icon.gif)

Communication 2011
(A Thanku)

Ways to stay in touch
Email, letter, Facebook, phone,
Postcard, blog, smile, hug

(photo http://www.fotocommunity.com/pc/pc/display/12380416 by Fer Kazalz)

Now it's your turn. Give it a try in the comments section below! And thank you for staying in touch!

Spring Rain--National Poetry Month

(photo by John Aldersey-Williams, www.geograph.org.uk/photo/12091)

It's raining this morning! After all the snow melt, you wouldn't think we'd need rain, but we are glad to see it soak the ground afresh and clean things off. To celebrate, here are a couple rain haiku by Japanese masters:


(photo by Tacuma, picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xcsN2uH5OEGBWwn0MIVO7Q)

In spring rain

In spring rain
a pretty girl
yawning.

--Kobayashi Issa




(photo by Oimax flickr.com/photos/72396314@N00/2606379621/)

Spring rain

Spring rain
leaking through the roof
dripping from the wasps' nest.

--Matsuo Basho




(photo by Leah Jones flickr.com/photos/accidentallyjewish/3630023243/)

And just for fun, go to children's poet and songwriter Eric Ode's poetry page to read his poem "Soggy Sneaker Parade."

What does spring rain remind you of? Happy splashing!