Haiku & Senryu: Rekindling A Sense of Wonder
with Miho Kinnas and Marc Olmsted
Poetry can begin with a single moment of presence.
In this generative workshop, you’ll learn to notice and shape life’s everyday “snapshots” into art—developing a poetic practice rooted in curiosity, appreciation, and a sense of wonder. Through the related Japanese forms of haiku, senryu, and haibun (collectively known as haikai), you’ll discover how a few well-chosen words can hold an entire world.
Together, we’ll explore both traditional and modern approaches to these forms. Haiku attends to the natural world; senryu turns toward human nature and its foibles; and haibun pairs a brief prose passage with a haiku to create layered, resonant work. Along the way, we’ll move beyond the familiar 5–7–5 structure to consider contemporary variations, including work by poets such as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg.
Because these forms are deeply contemplative, the course also invites you to cultivate a mindset of attention and appreciation—learning to observe openly, and to write from a place of presence rather than pressure. You’ll be introduced to simple mindful practices that support this way of seeing and writing, along with suggested readings to deepen your exploration.
Taught by award-winning instructors Miho Kinnas and Marc Olmsted, this course offers the unique opportunity to learn from two experienced poets, with alternating lectures and prompts across four weeks. Expect in-depth instruction, energizing discussion, and moments of lightness and laughter. Each week, you’ll engage with lectures, course materials, and writing prompts designed to help you build a sustainable daily poetry practice. You’ll share your work with fellow writers in a supportive environment and receive thoughtful, personalized feedback on every assignment.
Who This Course is For
Zoom Schedule
During the four weeks, we will meet for two Zoom sessions, with Miho and Marc. The first call will be Thursday, April 30th at 7:00 PM Eastern. The second call will be Monday, May 25th at 7:00 PM Eastern. For those who can’t attend, the zoom sessions will be recorded
Learning and Writing Goals
Learning Goals
In this course, you will learn to:
- Write effective haiku, senryu, and haibun, with a clear understanding of their forms and nuances.
- Choose precise, vivid imagery over generalized or abstract (“editorial”) language.
- Develop a poetic mindset that finds meaning, attention, and even moments of lightness in everyday experience.
- Engage with themes of impermanence, change, and bittersweet beauty through a haikai lens.
Writing Goals
In this course, you will create:
- A sustainable daily poetry practice that can be done in just minutes.
- A body of original haiku, senryu, and haibun written throughout the course.
- Poems that reflect a deeper attention to image, presence, and emotional resonance.
Weekly Syllabus
Week 1: The Verbal Snapshot — Seeing and Capturing the Moment
Marc introduces the concept of the “verbal snapshot,” using examples from Western poets to explore how a brief moment can be observed and shaped into a poem. You’ll begin practicing how to notice and translate everyday experiences into concise, image-driven writing.
Week 2: Tradition and Form — Foundations of Haiku and Senryu
Miho presents the historical background of haiku and senryu, along with their traditional styles and structures. You’ll learn how these forms have been shaped over time and how their conventions influence meaning and tone.
Week 3: Modern Adaptations — Expanding the Form
Marc explores modern departures from traditional haiku and senryu, focusing on how contemporary poets adapt these forms for new purposes and voices. You’ll also be introduced to considerations for submitting your work.
Week 4: Haibun — Combining Prose and Poem
Miho introduces haibun, a hybrid form that pairs prose with haiku or senryu, with examples from both traditional and contemporary writers. You’ll explore how narrative and image work together to create layered meaning.
$345.00Enroll Now
Student Feedback for Miho Kinnas and Marc Olmsted:
About Miho Kinnas and Marc Olmsted
Miho Kinnas, a 2019 & 2023 Pushcart Prize nominee, is a Japanese poet, author, and translator. In 2023, a poetry collaboration with E. Ethelbert Miller, We Eclipse into The Other Side, was published by Pinyon Publishing, Best American Poetry 2023 selected her poem, Three Shrimp Boats On The Horizon, initially published in Wet Cement Magazine. Her translation appeared in Tokyo Poetry Journal Vol. 12. She is the author of two poetry collections: Today, Fish Only and Move Over, Bird (Math Paper Press). Kinnas serves as Artist in Residence or conducts various haiku/poetry workshops at, including Pat Conroy Literary Center, Life-Long Learning, Heritage Library, Richland Library, Island Writers Network, Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University, local schools, and Shanghai Literary Festival. She teaches translation at Tender Leaves Translation. She holds an MFA in creative writing (poetry) from the City University of Hong Kong.
Marc Olmsted has five books of poetry and has appeared in New Directions in Prose & Poetry, City Lights Journal, New York Quarterly, Outlaw Bible of American Poetry and a large international variety of small presses. Twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Olmsted received the San Francisco Acker Award for Poetry in 2014 along with David Meltzer and Ishmael Reed.
Marc began mindfulness meditation in 1974. Olmsted went on to become a student of Lama Tharchin Rinpoche in 1991 and completed a three-year retreat supervised by this great teacher. Afterwards, as a senior student, he was encouraged by Tharchin Rinpoche to teach at the San Francisco chapter of the Vajrayana Foundation, Last Chance Gompa. In time, Olmsted incorporated simple mindfulness meditation instructions into his poetry classes.
Allen Ginsberg said of Olmsted "...one of the few practitioners post-Kerouac that had picked up on the loose and lucid form that Kerouac had developed." Olmsted's 25 year relationship with Ginsberg is chronicled in his memoir Don't Hesitate: Knowing Allen Ginsberg 1972-1997 - Letters and Recollections. For more on Marc and his work, visit his website.