S9E32 Tyrone McDonald reads Haiku - A Poetry Pea Summer Classic

In this special summer replay, Patricia McGuire welcomes acclaimed haiku poet Tyrone McDonald for a memorable Poetry Pea reading and conversation.

Tyrone's haiku explore family, identity, race, music, memory and the natural world with remarkable clarity and emotional depth. From the unforgettable morning fog / when my embryo... had gills to poems of jazz, gratitude, homecoming and history, his work demonstrates the power of the short poetic forms.

Along the way, we consider Ferris Gilli's thoughts on resonance in haiku and hear Etheridge Knight's famous observation that making jazz swing in seventeen syllables "ain't no square poet's job."

Whether you're discovering Tyrone McDonald for the first time or revisiting this Poetry Pea favourite, this episode offers a masterclass in contemporary English-language haiku and the quiet power of saying just enough.

In this episode:

• Tyrone McDonald reads a selection of his published haiku

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