Echoes of Haikai

Echoes of Haikai comprises 75 original westernized Japanese poems whose spirit remains faithful to (e.g., echo) the traditional Japanese poetry intents and origins.

Echoes of Haikai comprises 75 original westernized Japanese poems whose spirit remains faithful to (e.g., echo) the traditional Japanese poetry intents and origins. Haikai has been defined broadly as any of the forms of Japanese literature (haiku, renku, senryu, haibun, diaries and travel writings, zuihitsu, and tanka or waka). While there may be guidelines and norms, surprisingly there are no rigid forms for haikai. Western haikai writers have been allowed even more freedom by definition, or by some poets' own redefined craft, regarding line length, syllables, use of seasonal words and nature references, use of metaphors and similes, grammatical breaks, and poem introductions – as long as the spirit of the words remain faithful to (e.g., echo) the traditional Japanese intent and origins. The writer may intend one thing in a haikai, or may intend an ambiguity – the reader may see something different. The ear hears the sounds that it hears. The eye sees the visions it sees.

Educated at Hamline University and the University of Minnesota, gil olson has been writing seriously for the past four years. From 1966 to 1974 he also wrote seriously, publishing poems in (now defunct) literary journals. Then he dabbled in writing, working and happily spending time with his family. He is now re-learning the craft at The Loft, Minneapolis, and in Twin Cities workshops, and practicing at a hermit's desk in St. Paul, Minnesota.