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Modern Haiku – Winter/Spring 2006

Volume 37 Number 1

Winter/Spring 2006

Annual

Jennifer Gomoll

Modern Haiku is not only a delight for haiku enthusiasts, but a pleasant surprise to readers looking for more understanding of this deceptively simple poetic form.

Modern Haiku is not only a delight for haiku enthusiasts, but a pleasant surprise to readers looking for more understanding of this deceptively simple poetic form. It not only presents a variety of quality haiku, senryu, and haibun, it provides education and debate about what makes a haiku a haiku. The works here range from traditional to free verse, and often contain that quiet “Aha!” moment in which you understand connections that have not been stated directly, as in this Tom Painting poem: “summer night / a released moth / fingerprinted.” This issue’s essays include an exploration of the history of haiku in America (complete with Internet activity and the issues of quality and control that raises); an essay on Swedish diplomat Dag Hammarskjold’s poems and photography; and (lest you were hungering for something a bit more traditional) an explanation of Japan’s lunar calendar, and the poetic “seasonal words” associated with each month. Not every poet can become a haiku master, but reading this wonderful journal can certainly sharpen both your skills and appreciation of the form.
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