International Haiku Poetry Day is April 17th, in the center of National Poetry Month.
 
This video haiga created for “HaikuLife” 2019, the Haiku Foundation’s Film Festival, in celebration of International Haiku Poetry Day.
 
The video at the right was created by Marita Gargiulo is a member of CPS, and has been guest editor for the Haiku Foundation.
Her haiku have appeared in Frogpond, bottle rockets, Modern Haiku, Cattails, the Wales Haiku Journal, under the Basho, Akitsu Quarterly and Presence.
 
About Haiku
Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), an early haiku master, was a contemporary of John Milton (1608-1674). Just as today’s sonnets may not be exactly like Milton’s, yet can still be recognized as sonnets, haiku have evolved over the years.  Haiku had its origins in a collaborative poem of linked verses, called haikai no renga, or renku. Later the opening part of the linked verse came to stand alone as haiku.

Although many of us learned in school that haiku consists of 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables, most contemporary haiku do not follow this form.  (In fact some journals state that they will reject haiku submitted using the strict 5,7,5 format.) Also, it has been pointed out that Japan’s 17 syllables may more closely correspond to 10-15 syllables in English.  (Still, International Haiku Poetry Day is celebrated on April 17th.) Haiku can be described as reflecting an experience of nature, while senryu relates more to human nature.
 
For more information about haiku and senryu, links to the Haiku Society of America, and the Haiku Foundation are provided below.

Connecticut is home to two prominent haiku poets who have been active at the national level.
Sylvia Forges-Ryan, was the editor of Haiku Society of America journal Frogpond from 1990 through 1993.

Stanford M. Forrester, was a past president of the Haiku Society of America and is owner of bottle rockets press.
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Both are well known editors and respected authors of several haiku books.
 

 
 
 



 
 


 

Please be patient it may take a minute for the video to load - you can also download it.

There has been a long history of Japanese brushstroke painting accompanying haiku. A pairing of visual art and haiku is known as haiga. Video Haiga, featuring haiku with music or voice and visual art, has recently become popular.

Links:
Haiku society of America (HSA)
http://www.hsa-haiku.org/
 
HSA official definitions of haiku and related terms.
http://www.hsa-haiku.org/archives/HSA_Definitions_2004.html
 
The Haiku Foundation
https://www.thehaikufoundation.org/
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Welcome to the Haiku Chapter of the Connecticut Poetry Society
If you are interested in writing and learning more about haiku, complete this online form so we can contact you regarding haiku events and information.
Thank you,
Marita and Evelyn