Haiku Theory

Episode 24: Haiku & Conceptual Experience

What if a haiku isn't just a poem—but a living concept? Come along as we dive into haiku as conceptual experience: a compact, electrified Now where language, memory, and experience collide. By reimagining haiku as dynamic conceptual events, we uncover how these tiny poems don't just describe moments—they create them. Deleuze and Guattari's What is Philosophy? [https://transversalinflections.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/deleuze-3207-what_is_philosophy-fenomenologie-van-schilderkunst.pdf] Richard Gilbert's Plausible deniability: Nature as hypothesis in English‑language haiku [http://research.gendaihaiku.com/plausible/index.html] Jim Kacian's Haiku as Anti-Story [https://www.gendaihaiku.com/kacian/anti-story.html] Keiko Imaoka's Forms in English Haiku [https://www.thehaikufoundation.org/omeka/files/original/111ff5c01b901abd1896b2439b017fae.pdf] Charles Trumbull's An Analysis of Haiku in 12-Dimensional Space [https://thehaikufoundation.org/omeka/files/original/edce908e41151d04a3e9efc36ff79f6e.pdf] Italo Calvino's All at One Point [https://www.ruanyifeng.com/calvino/2007/07/ch_4_all_at_one_point.html] To contact the podcast EMAIL US [haikutheory@gmail.com] Introduction recorded by Graham on June 11, 2025 in a Toykyo Subway Train

Episode 23: Poetic Diction in Haiku

Think haiku is all about simple language? Come along as we unpack how the juxtaposition of poetic and common diction energizes haiku, and how 20th-century English-language poets got it wrong by mistaking the poetic for the prosaic. Contact the Haiku Theory Podcast by Emailing Us Here [haikutheory@gmail.com]. This episode's soundscape was recorded by Graham on a subway car in Tokyo, Japan in June 2025. Hiroaki Sato's On Haiku can be purchased [https://www.amazon.com/Haiku-Hiroaki-Sato/dp/0811227413] here [https://www.amazon.com/Haiku-Hiroaki-Sato/dp/0811227413]. Haruo Shirane's Traces of Dreams can be purchased here [https://www.amazon.com/Traces-Dreams-Landscape-Cultural-Memory/dp/0804730997.]. Koji Kawamoto's The Poetics of Japanese Verse can be purchased [https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Stephen-Collington/dp/0860085260] here [https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Stephen-Collington/dp/0860085260].

Episode 22: Haiku Grammar

Is haiku bound by the rules of everyday grammar, or does it operate on its own terms? In this episode, we explore how haiku breaks away from the structures of normal sentence-based language. From notions of spontaneous grammars to the disruptive grammars of the "Cut" in haiku, we question why readers and editors often impose standard grammatical expectations on a poetic form that may not want them. Through examples and thought experiments, we ask: If a haiku isn't a sentence, what is it—and what kind of grammar does it create? Contact the Haiku Theory Podcast by Emailing Us Here [haikutheory@gmail.com]. This episode's music was recorded by Graham at his old piano and is titled, "Waltz of Gold."

Episode 21: Haiku Expectations

Haiku expectations dictate what it is we think haiku should be doing. In this episode, we dive into the expectations surrounding haiku and how they shape our experience of the form. We explore the common belief that haiku should evoke profound moments of clarity or connection with nature, and why this expectation often leads to disappointment. From the historical influence of Western interpretations to the rise of prescriptive rules about the "haiku moment," we examine how these expectations have shaped both the writing and reading of haiku. Join us as we unpack the assumptions that guide our approach to haiku and rethink what this poetic form is truly meant to do. Instone Poetry Forums, and excellent place to workshop your haiku, and discuss all things haiku, can be found by Clicking Here [https://www.inkstonepoetry.com] Contact the Haiku Theory Podcast by Emailing Us Here [haikutheory@gmail.com].

Episode 20: Care Ethics and Haiku

In a world that often feels disconnected, haiku offers a unique way to nurture our capacity for care. In this episode we read Ce Rosenow and Maurice Hamington's 'A Careful Poetics: Caring Imagination, Caring Habits, and Haiku,' which explores the intersection of care ethics and aesthetic theory, focusing on how haiku can enhance our capacity for care. We discuss how haiku, with its emphasis on embodied experience and mindful attention, cultivates a caring imagination, deepens understanding, and may even inspire compassionate actions. Tune in for a thoughtful look at the potential of poetry to foster care in both personal and societal contexts. A 'Careful Poetics: Caring Imagination, Caring Habits, and Haiku' can be read in its entirety by Clicking Here [https://thehaikufoundation.org/juxta/juxta-3-1/a-careful-poetics-caring-imagination-caring-habits-and-haiku/]. Inkstone Poetry Forums can be found by Clicking Here [https://www.inkstonepoetry.com]. Contact the Haiku Theory Podcast by Emailing Us Here [haikutheoy@gmail.com]. This episode's soundscape was recorded by Graham on a train to Pompy, Italy on June 28, 2024.