Continue to learn the contemplative art of haiku as well as its modern expression. Every session we read select haiku and delve into the qualities of each poem that help us derive insight and enjoyment.
Haiku is famous for it’s nuance, seasonal flavor and more. Continued sessions explore how it's emphasis on the natural world, humans and the art of poetry add to its subtle genius. Read more about the session topics for each class below (link).
Each session offers a presentation, slides and recommended resources. Bi-monthly sessions begin January 01/05/25. Participants may take the course at their own pace through the entire year.
This course is taught by Deborah Bowman, Ph.D., retired psychologist and former professor of mindfulness-based transpersonal counseling. Camping along the banks of the Green River she taught poetry as a healing practice.
The full course consists of 4 1-hour classes. Each session is available every two weeks beginning 01/12/25. Participants may take the course at their own pace throughout 2025. Read more about each class below. (link)
CONTINUING HAIKU COURSE, Sessions 2, 3 & 4
ENJOY HAIKU
Session 1. Contemplate Haiku available 1/12/25*
Insects on a bough
floating downriver,
still singing.
Issa
The poems of the early haiku masters of Japan reflect lives committed to practice and presence. Looking deeply into a handful of their haiku we seek to discover how their brief expressions can be so profound — even when humorous! This class covers enough history to make you curious, poetics to engage the senses and the opportunity to illuminate the depth of each poet’s work.
Session 2. Haiku & the Natural World available 1/19/25*
The sudden thunder
Startles the magnolias
To a deeper white.
Richard Wright
Ancient and modern haiku poets throughout the world draw from nature’s well to express the temporal beauty of our kinship and interdependence. In this session we look at the work of poets who lean into seasonal references that place humans in a living and replenishing world. This emphasis on the seasons offers poets the opportunity to reflect on a single moment of contact in an ever changing world.
Session 3. The Art of Haiku available 2/9/25*
I go,
you stay;
two autumns.
Buson
In this session we focus on how the art and craft of haiku contributes to it’s ability to express the subject and mind of the poet. What placement of a phrase or sound helps layer meaning in haiku? How does a poem engage the reader to discover their own mind within the words of the writer? With these questions and more we explore four centuries of writing with the shared mission of touching the heart and mind.
Session 4. Humans and Haiku available 2/23/25*
Undressed -
today's role dangles
from a metal hanger.
Alexa Rotella
We live in a world where we are increasingly cut off from the nature and many modern haiku reflect this absence. Nevertheless our undressed nature shows up poems that at first glance appear to neglect a naked truth — we still long for something more than a role in the human drama. These poets express both the irony and truth of this thirst.
*all classes available throught 2025