Haiku Blizzard | Julian Sedgwick

HAIKU PROJECT
curiosity | observation | joy!

HAVING FUN WITH HAIKU


(and even shorter poems!)


For the last three years I have been introducing children and adults of all ages to the joy and immediacy and nuance of haiku poetry. Working from my deep love of the form - and some Japanese language ability! - I have been demystifying the process through workshops run both in and out of doors.
After a brief introduction to a few guidelines and examples from classic haiku poets (and not getting too stressed by syllable count!) participants take a notebook and fill it with raw sensory memories or observations. Then we start to write - and rewrite - and polish.
Finally, the poems are hung from a tree or a classroom wall to flutter in any passing gentle breeze. (Like snowflakes or blossom, depending on the season!)

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Students hunting for haiku in Ampthill Great Park July 2019

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Fieldwork notebooks

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Finished haiku fluttering in the breeze at Leighton Park School