Haiku Theory

"Haiku Theory" is a thought-provoking podcast delving deep into the theory of haiku, the centuries-old form of Japanese poetry renowned for its profundity. Each episode investigates a specific aspect of haiku theory, summarizing key ideas found in the writings of the deepest thinkers on haiku throughout the centuries and across the globe. Whether you're a seasoned haiku enthusiast or a newcomer to the world of haiku, "Haiku Theory" welcomes you to immerse yourself in the beauty and wisdom of this timeless art form.

Episode 22: Haiku Grammar 05/15/2025

Episode 22: Haiku Grammar 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 episode’s music was recorded by Graham at his old piano and is titled, “Waltz of Gold.” /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/36581615

Episode 21: Haiku Expectations 03/14/2025

Episode 21: Haiku Expectations 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 our approach to haiku and rethink what this poetic form is truly meant to do. Instone Poetry Forums, and excellent place to workshop your haiku, and discuss all things haiku, can be found by Contact the Haiku Theory Podcast by . /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/35700105

Episode 20: Care Ethics and Haiku 01/23/2025

Episode 20: Care Ethics and Haiku 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 to foster care in both personal and societal contexts. A 'Careful Poetics: Caring Imagination, Caring Habits, and Haiku' can be read in its entirety by . Inkstone Poetry Forums can be found by . Contact the Haiku Theory Podcast by . This episode’s soundscape was recorded by Graham on a train to Pompy, Italy on June 28, 2024. /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/34984575

Episode 19: Meaning and Experience 12/19/2024

Episode 19: Meaning and Experience 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 . The audio of this episode was recorded by Graham at a publicly performed Christmas pageant. /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/34532560

Episode 18: Jacques Lacan and Haiku 12/13/2024

Episode 18: Jacques Lacan and Haiku 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 episode’s soundscape was recorded by Graham, and features the sounds of an backstreet in Rome, Italy at 6:58pm on June 28, 2024. /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/34432900

Episode 17: Disjunction 12/02/2024

Episode 17: Disjunction 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 read in its entirety by . Gilbert’s introduction to Jim Kacian’s long after can be read by . William M. Ramsey’s essay How One Writes in the Haiku Moment: Mythos vs. Logos, can be read by . To contact the podcast email us by . This episode's soundscape was recorded by Graham, and features the sounds of a cafe in Varenna, Italy at 9am on June 19, 2024. /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/34246070

Episode 16: Copying Haiku Product, Problem, and Process 11/14/2024

Episode 16: Copying Haiku Product, Problem, and Process “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 of the mountain village of Kriens, Switzerland, on June 11, 2024 at 12:31pm /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/33932887

Episode 15: Impossibility of Realism in Haiku 06/07/2024

Episode 15: Impossibility of Realism in Haiku 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!) /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/31653157

Episode 14: Juxtaposition: cutting and joining 05/29/2024

Episode 14: Juxtaposition: cutting and joining 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. To contact the podcast email us This episodes soundscape was recorded on Graham’s back deck on May 4, 2024. /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/31515717

Episode 13: Haiku Commentary & Interpretation 05/15/2024

Episode 13: Haiku Commentary & Interpretation 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. /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/31309002

Episode 12: The Problem with Kigo 04/25/2024

Episode 12: The Problem with Kigo Can 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 Harou Shirane’s essay “Beyond the Haiku Moment: Basho, Buson, and Modern Haiku Myths” can be read by . Jim Kacian’s essay “Beyond Kigo: Haiku in the Next Millennium” can be read by Jane Reichhold's “A Dictionary of Haiku Classified by Season Words with Traditional and Modern Methods” can be read by . The Matsuyama Declaration can be read by . Contact the podcast by /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/30988398

Episode 11: Capitalistic Haiku 04/11/2024

Episode 11: Capitalistic Haiku Are haiku actually wicked machines working to spread the exploitive tenets of Global Capitalism? In this episode we look at Dimitar Anakiev’s concept of “Capitalistic Haiku,” as we review two articles, which can be found below. Jack Galmitz’s review of Dimitar Anakiev’s haiku collection 'Rustics' can be found at the Haiku Foundation by . The review begins on p. 165. To read Dimitar Anakiev’s essay Haiku and Capitalism can be read in it entirety at the Haiku Foundation by . The essay begins on p. 103. To contact the podcast email us by . /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/30784178

Episode 10: Ma & the Haiku Cosmos 03/27/2024

Episode 10: Ma & the Haiku Cosmos Cutting, Ma, and the Haiku Cosmos are three concepts Hasegawa Kai explores in his theories of haiku. In today’s episode we will be thinking about the concept of Ma as we look at an interview with Hasegawa Kai, published in Richard Gilbert’s book To view the interview with Hasegawa Kai on Richard Gilbert’s website (gendaihaiku.com) To contact the Haiku Theory Podcast email us /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/30536863

Episode 9: Karumi: Basho's Ultimate Poetical Value, or was it? 03/20/2024

Episode 9: Karumi: Basho's Ultimate Poetical Value, or was it? At the time of his death, the haiku master Basho was developing a new aesthetic he called Karumi. What exactly is it, and what does it have to do with haiku? In today’s episode we explore the concept of Karumi with Susumu Takiguchi’s essay, “Karumi: Matsuo Basho’s Ultimate Poetical Value, or Was It?” The essay can be read in its entirety . Contact the podcast by emailing us . Music for this episode was provided by the guitar stylings of Adam Graham. /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/30461438

Episode 8: So:Ba 03/12/2024

Episode 8: So:Ba What exactly does Ba have to do with haiku? Join us for part two of our exploration of the concept of Ba and how it interacts with haiku, which includes a little history of how haiku emerged out of Japan and became an international form of poetry. This episode’s essay is title “So:Ba” and was written by Jim Kacian. The essay can be read in its entirety by To contact the podcast email us at Opening music was recorded in a side-street in Havana, Cuba on January 14, 2017. /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/30343543

Episode 7: Communicative Interaction in Terms of 'Ba' Theory 03/06/2024

Episode 7: Communicative Interaction in Terms of 'Ba' Theory It is argued that the concept of Ba, the Japanese word for ‘place,’ is essential to haiku, but what is Ba? In this episode we begin a two-part exploration of the concept of Ba. Hold on tight as we delve into the fascinating realm of Ba as presented in the the article, “Communicative Interaction in Terms of Ba Theory: Towards an innovative approach to language practice,” which can read in its entirety by . To view Diego Velazquez’s painting “Las Meninas” To contact the podcast email us at Opening music provided by your host tinkling around on his piano. /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/30257623

Episode 6 - Haiku Rhetorical Theories 03/02/2024

Episode 6 - Haiku Rhetorical Theories How does a haiku function as a rhetorical act? Come along as we explore four different theories of Haiku Poetics from Randy Brooks’ essay “Haiku Poetics: Objective, Subjective, Transactional and Literary Theories.” The essay can be read in its entirety by . To contact the podcast please email us at The episode’s music was recorded in a Barcelona subway station on June, 10 2017. /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/30199123

Episode 5: Genesis of Haiku 03/01/2024

Episode 5: Genesis of Haiku It is assumed haiku originated in Japan, but....where does it really come from? Join us for an exploration of the multifaceted genesis of haiku. In this episode we take a gander at the ideas of Randy Brooks from his essay Genesis of Haiku: Where Do Haiku Come From? The essay in its entirety can be To contact the podcast please email us at This episode's music was recorded in a street cafe in Barcelona on June 23, 2017. /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/30153308

Episode 4: Pearls of Dew 02/22/2024

Episode 4: Pearls of Dew An investigation of how Western psychological theories offer a way to an "ontological union" with Nature. In this episode we'll travel along with Beth Vieira as she explores the ideas of "Transitional Objects" and "Intermediate Areas" as put forth by the psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott. A copy of Beth Vieira's "Pearls of Dew" essay can be accessed here: To contact the podcast please email Music: Jerome, M. K, et al. Poor little Butterfly is a fly gal now. 1919. Audio. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-34267/>. /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/30041078

Episode 3: Aha Moments and the Miracle of Haiku 02/22/2024

Episode 3: Aha Moments and the Miracle of Haiku Haiku's miraculous capability of Time Travel. In this episode we explore Michael Dylan Welch's time-bending concept of the Aha Moment of haiku. The essay, “Aha Moments and the Miracle of Haiku,” can be found here in its entirety. Michael Dylan Welch’s haiku resource website can be found by To contact the podcast please email Music: Smith, Joseph C, et al. Who Did It?. 1919. Audio. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-32796/>. /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/30040783

Episode 2: A Pre-Electronic View of the World 02/21/2024

Episode 2: A Pre-Electronic View of the World Can haiku be written in an "electronic" world saturated with the information overload offered by social media and the internet? In this episode we look at Paul O. Williams' concept of a "pre-electronic consciousness." Link to the Essay: To contact the podcast please email Music: Conrad, Con, Paul Whiteman Orchestra, and Paul Whiteman. Moonlight. 1921. Audio. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-40078/>. /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/30040528

Episode 1: Introduction 02/20/2024

Episode 1: Introduction Greetings and Salutations! A brief introduction to your host and the Haiku Theory Podcast. To contact the podcast please email Music: Ambassador Orchestra, et al. The Japanese sandman. 1920. Audio. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, >. /episode/index/show/f1695444-c42d-463a-9113-1f2888ffa4a0/id/30040173

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