Episode 22: Haiku Grammar
Haiku Theory
Is haiku bound by the rules of everyday grammar, or does it operate on its own terms? In this episode, we explore how haiku breaks away from the structures of normal sentence-based language. From notions of spontaneous grammars to the disruptive grammars of the "Cut" in haiku, we question why readers and editors often impose standard grammatical expectations on a poetic form that may not want them. Through examples and thought experiments, we ask: If a haiku isn’t a sentence, what is it—and what kind of grammar does it create? Contact the Haiku Theory Podcast by . This...
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Episode 21: Haiku Expectations
Haiku Theory
Haiku expectations dictate what it is we think haiku should be doing. In this episode, we dive into the expectations surrounding haiku and how they shape our experience of the form. We explore the common belief that haiku should evoke profound moments of clarity or connection with nature, and why this expectation often leads to disappointment. From the historical influence of Western interpretations to the rise of prescriptive rules about the “haiku moment,” we examine how these expectations have shaped both the writing and reading of haiku. Join us as we unpack the assumptions that guide...
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Episode 20: Care Ethics and Haiku
Haiku Theory
In a world that often feels disconnected, haiku offers a unique way to nurture our capacity for care. In this episode we read Ce Rosenow and Maurice Hamington’s 'A Careful Poetics: Caring Imagination, Caring Habits, and Haiku,' which explores the intersection of care ethics and aesthetic theory, focusing on how haiku can enhance our capacity for care. We discuss how haiku, with its emphasis on embodied experience and mindful attention, cultivates a caring imagination, deepens understanding, and may even inspire compassionate actions. Tune in for a thoughtful look at the potential of poetry...
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Episode 19: Meaning and Experience
Haiku Theory
Meaning and Experience The interplay of meaning and experience in haiku both captivates and frustrates readers and writers alike. In this episode, we delve into Richard Gilbert’s concept of Collocation and Roland Barthes’ Narrative Codes, examining how these theories illuminate the structures of language—and what they reveal about the life and death of haiku. for a link to an incredible discussion and analysis of Peter Newton’s ‘beam by beam’ haiku. for a brief description of Roland Barthe’s five language codes. To contact the podcast...
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Episode 18: Jacques Lacan and Haiku
Haiku Theory
Within haiku is a tension between silence and expression that mirrors the complex relationship between desire and its unattainable fulfillment. In this episode, we delve into Ian Marshall’s essay, Jouissance among the Kire: A Lacanian Approach to Haiku, to explore Jacques Lacan’s concept of Jouissance and its connection to haiku’s emphasis on the ineffable, the unsaid, and the fragmented. Marshall’s essay, Jouissance among the Kire: A Lacanian Approach to Haiku, can be read in its entirety by . To contact the podcast, email us by . This...
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Episode 17: Disjunction
Haiku Theory
Dwelling beneath the formal aspect of Juxtaposition is the force of Disjunction, a force that disrupts perception and challenges the very notion of what a haiku is. In today’s episode, we explore Richard Gilbert’s essay The Disjunctive Dragonfly, which shifts the conversation about haiku from what haiku is, to how haiku work. Gilbert argues that the true power of haiku lies in the concept of "disjunction," a force that disrupts readers’ perceptions and challenges our understanding of how meaning arises within haiku. Gilbert’s essay, The Disjunctive Dragonfly, can be...
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Episode 16: Copying Haiku Product, Problem, and Process
Haiku Theory
“Good artists copy, great artists steal.” This quote is attributed to Picasso, but what does it actually mean for Haiku? Come along as we dig into a theory of crafting original haiku by copying the works of others. In this episode we'll be investigating the theory of copying put forth by Michele Root-Bernstein in her essay 'Copying to Create: The Role of Imitation and Emulation in Developing Haiku Craft,' which can be read in its entirety by . To contact the podcast email us This episode/s soundscape was recorded by Graham, and features cowbells heard outside...
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Episode 15: Impossibility of Realism in Haiku
Haiku Theory
Is Realism a false idol of haiku? Is the understanding of Haiku being "a nature poem" a false understanding? Come along as we explore how Realism interacts with haiku...or even if Realism interacts with haiku at all. In this episode we will be discussing Jim Kacian’s essay "Realism is Dead (and Always Was)." To read the essay in its entirety To contact the podcast This episode’s intro is yours-truly tinkling around on my piano, recorded on a child’s toy (which is why it sounds like it’s underwater LOL!)
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Episode 14: Juxtaposition: cutting and joining
Haiku Theory
The linking of juxtaposed components is a formal aspect of haiku, so what are the rules of linking two components together, and what variety of linking methods are there? Come along as we explore The Art of Juxtaposition: cutting and joining, by Haruo Shirane. The ideas discussed in this episode can also be explored in Shirane’s paper Matsuo Bashō and the Poetics of Scent. To download this paper . Please note, the document is compilation of a bunch of haiku thinkers discussing Basho (which is highly interesting and informative). To find Shirane’s paper scroll down....
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Episode 13: Haiku Commentary & Interpretation
Haiku Theory
Come along as we take a closer look at three specific contemporary haiku offering commentary and interpretation. Ben Oliver’s haiku was published by , Britan’s leading independent haiku journal. Richard Tindall’s haiku was published in the Fay Aoyagi’s collection of haiku, Chrysanthemum Love, can be found To contact the podcast email us . The opening “soundscape” was recorded at the Paradise Grille diner on Pass-a-Grille Beach, Florida at 9:13 am on April 21, 2024.
info_outlineCan English-language haiku actually contain a Kigo? Come along in our exploration of the problems the concept of Kigo causes for English-language haiku as we discuss Charles Trumbull’s essay “Seasonality: English-Language Haiku in Search of its Vertical.”
Charles Trumbull’s essay “Seasonality: English-Language Haiku in Search of its Vertical” can be read by Clicking Here.
Harou Shirane’s essay “Beyond the Haiku Moment: Basho, Buson, and Modern Haiku Myths” can be read by Clicking Here.
Jim Kacian’s essay “Beyond Kigo: Haiku in the Next Millennium” can be read by Clicking Here.
Jane Reichhold's “A Dictionary of Haiku Classified by Season Words with Traditional and Modern Methods” can be read by Clicking Here.
The Matsuyama Declaration can be read by Clicking Here.
Contact the podcast by Clicking Here