What Makes Good Haiku? (hint: it’s not 5-7-5)

I was honored to have three haiku published recently, in the November 2021 issue of *Better Than Starbucks*. I’ve made memes of each of those haiku, along with corresponding images, that you can see here as well as below.

As I’ve grown as a poet, I’ve come to appreciate the contemplative power of haiku. Words in any poem must carry their weight, and this is even more true for haiku. Yet (in English anyways) it’s not just about a strict 5-7-5 syllabic structure. In fact, sometimes the obsession in English over 5-7-5 can actually undermine a haiku’s intent and potential.

So what makes a haiku tick? Why is haiku such a gorgeous form for contemplative practice? I’ll offer haiku workshops in early 2022 that will explore these exact questions. In those workshops, we’ll voyage through classical and contemporary examples of haiku, thoughts on key characteristics of the form (including how the form gets its superpower!), as well as ample quiet time to draft our own haiku. There will be optional sharing time at the end.

As always, I first announce these workshop opportunities via my free poetry and prayer newsletter. If you haven’t already, then please feel free to sign up here to be the first to know about opportunities like these.

I imagine many of us also yearn for some quiet space in the New Year for reflection. Haiku is a perfect form for this practice, and I invite you to join me in making a resolution to bring more haiku into your life in 2022 :).

To learn more, and to register for the Saturday, February 5th haiku workshop from 10am-11:30am US Eastern, please click here.

To learn more, and to register for the Friday, February 18th haiku workshop from 7pm-8:30pm US Eastern, please click here.