Writing up a Storm: Haiku

Poetry and popcorn

“Writing haiku is like eating popcorn,” Allen Ginsberg once said. “Once you get started, it’s hard to stop.”

Allen Ginsberg was right. There is something delicious – addictive, even – about writing haiku, the traditional Japanese three-line poem, with its remarkable capacity to capture the universal in the moment. In this program, fun exercises quickly get you writing haiku and other forms of Japanese poetry, such as Tanka (five-line poems) and Renga, a unique form of group haiku writing. Japanese poetic forms offer great potential for subtle, incisive expression of experience and awareness.

• Discover the pleasure of writing poetry in a relaxed environment, and a way of looking at life through a sharply focused lens.
• So much can be said in a short poem; three or four lines can effectively capture the mood of a day, or the essence of an experience.
• Included will be a brief discussion of the history of haiku, and the influence of Zen.

Schedule: Saturday 1:30 pm – 5:30 pm and 7:30 – 9:30 pm, Sunday 9:15am - noon.

Faculty: Ellery Littleton

Ellery Littleton’s most recent book of poetry, “Riverwalk” – a poem a day for a year (Trafford Publishing/Jan.09) contains well over 100 haiku and tanka. It is available in The Haven Store.

2010 Dates:

Tuition: $175.00 (Accommodation and meals extra.)

Early Bird Tuition: $155 if you register and pay in full at least two weeks in advance.

Accommodation and Meals
The Haven offers a range of comfortable rooms and suites. All accommodation is designed to be shared by two or more people, though private rates are available. We make every effort to meet the needs of all our guests, but cannot guarantee specific rooms. Rates include three buffet-style meals per day.

There are three types of room: Basic, Forest view, and Ocean view.
Find out more about accommodations.

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