Poems of All Sizes: Haiku, Tanka, and Japanese Poetic Forms

The Japanese poetic form “tanka” has existed for over a thousand years. The tanka is the form of the Japanese anthem and it birthed the haiku poem. This workshop series showcases many haiku and tanka written or translated into English. We will take a walk down the path of Japanese history, punctuated with columns of short form poetry. We will inquire about and unfold the workings of the tiny poetic space, making discoveries to enliven your own writing along the way.

The tanka’s aesthetics have shifted in many directions over the years, within the extreme limitation of 31 sounds (not syllables, a distinction we explore in the workshop). Even this number, and the similar restriction to 17 sounds for haiku, are not inviolable, as we shall see.

But first, we will learn the rules of these forms. Only then can we challenge the rules.  Finally, you will reach for freedom in your own creative writing based on our conversations about Japanese poetry.

After these two workshops, the instructor will comment and offer suggestions via email, and will send the PDFs of presentations and reference information to further your adventures in form and language.

Learning and Writing Goals

In these two workshops, participants will learn:

• The short poetic forms as categories: waka/tanka, haikai/haiku, renga/renku, senryu, kyoka, and others!
• The basic rules of sounds (syllables/on), and the use of kigo.
• An overview of the history of Japanese poetry forms, from 800 AD to the present.
• Haiku from outside Japan.
• Compact expression: learning from American Haiku poets.
• The range of subject matter, vocabulary expansion, and variations in tanka.
• Associations: Basho and contemporary tanka.
• Applications: Collaboration, hybrid forms.

We will write four short poems during the first workshop. After this, please email Miho a series of 3 haiku, with a title and short commentary for each.

During the second workshop, we will write 2 haiku or tanka poems, and 2 sets of linked poems. Within 4 days, please email Miho one of the following:

1) A sequence of 5 haiku (three-line poems).
2) A sequence of 3 tanka (five-line poems).
3) A free verse up to 15 lines.
4) A haibun with a haiku, and prose up to 150 words.
5) A haiga (drawing or photograph) with a haiku.

In both emails, please place your work in the body of the email—please no attachments, except for the haiga.

Workshop Schedule

These two workshops will run on Zoom for two hours each. Each call will run from 7-9 P.M. U.S. Eastern Time. 

First Workshop (November 30)
15 Introduction and writing.
15 Haiku by Americans.
15 Modern Japanese Haiku and Lorca, Syllable, Season.
15 A Quick Glance at History in Poetry, Up to Basho.
20 Writing and break.
15 A Quick Glance at History, After Basho.
15 Modern and contemporary Japanese tanka.
10 Wrap-up, and writing suggestions.

Second Workshop (December 7)
10 Quick writing.
15 Lenard Moore’s tanka.
15 Jazz and blues haiku.
15 Renku.
10 Quick writing and break.
15 Haibun, Zuihitsu Haiga, Photohaiku.
10 Senryu and Kyoka.
15 Q&A.
15 Wrap-up and writing suggestions.

$195.00Enroll Now