Keep Calm & Haiku On!

Japan’s most beloved form of poetry, haiku, provides an oasis amid chaos. It offers a restorative quality and a reprieve from pandemic/endemic challenges and societal unrest. This short form of three unrhymed lines with seventeen syllables meets people where they are and how they communicate through abbreviated messages (e.g., texting, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). With its unique universality and adaptability, haiku may engage adults, teens, and children through programing/services in libraries and community centers. This most beloved form of traditional Japanese literature, which has been popularized by many Western writers, resonates with all people in its minimalist, compact style, offers them a calm, Zen-like experience in a stressful world, draws them into seasonal imagery of nature, and explores human emotions. Haiku, with its long history and broad cultural reach, is associated with philosophy, history, art, and, in modern times, photography. It appeals to all people, regardless of their background and education. Attendees will learn haiku’s rich historical tradition as well as its extraordinary flexibility through print and online sources.