S9E8 Examining one line Haiku, The Form, The Flow

In this episode of The Poetry Pea Podcast, we begin an in-depth exploration of one line haiku and senryū in English. What makes a one line haiku work? Is it simply a haiku written without line breaks, or is there something more subtle happening with rhythm, pause and flow?

Through close readings of poems by Michael Segers, John Wills, Alvin Cruz, Elizabeth Searle Lamb, Kala Ramesh, Tess Sherman, Scott Wiggerman, martin gottlieb cohen and even Allen Ginsberg, we examine how the single line changes pacing, meaning and impact.

We also begin asking some bigger questions about English-language haiku:

• Have Western poets reshaped the short form into something unrecognisable in Japan?
• Are English one line haiku a natural evolution — or a reinvention?
• Is a one line poem a haiku simply because the poet says it is?

This is Part 1 of a short series. Next week we’ll turn to techniques for writing one line haiku, looking at structure, rhythm and craft.

If you’re interested in:

• one line haiku
• senryū
• English-language haiku technique
• haiku form and structure
• poetry craft discussions
• modern haiku debate

then this episode is for you.

Show notes and links are here.

If you’d like to read along, a slideshow version is available on YouTube.

Keep writing.