Essays

I’ve written essays on many different topics, long and short, of which the following are a majority, focusing mostly on haiku and related genres of poetry. For additional essays, please visit the Interviews, Introductions, Reports, Reviews, and Speeches pages. See also Further Reading, Postscripts, and Not Previously Published.          +
 
★ = most recommended (start with these essays)
 
Have a question about haiku? Email Michael Dylan Welch and I’ll respond with a personal answer, or a suggested essay to read. This site has many essays to consider, so don’t hesitate to ask for reading guidance, to ask questions about haiku, or to offer comments about any of this content.

Learning Haiku

    Defining Haiku: A Place to Start (on the Living Haiku Anthology)
    How I Came to Haiku [first publication here]
    An Invitation to Spring Haiku
★ Notes on Japanese Forms [definitions of haiku, senryu, haibun, haiga, rengay, renku, and tanka]
★ Why “No 5-7-5”? [on my NaHaiWriMo site]

“Learning From” Essays

Studying Haiku (and Senryu)

    Beat Haiku and My Discussion with Jack Foley [see latter half for my contributions]    +    +
    Defining Haiku by Iterations [first publication here]
    Featured Poet [biographical sketch and six poems]
    Feeling Haiku Through Thin Wood Walls (David Patneaude)
★ Haiku as Poetic Spell [by Martin Lucas; includes extensive commentary by me and the author]
    Haiku Neighbours: North American Haiku Today [keynote address for 2013 Haiku International Association]
    Hopes for American Haiku [on The Haiku Foundation blog]
★ How Do You Write Haiku?
    On the Art of Writing Haiku [first publication here]
    Problems and Challenges of International Haiku [first publication here]
★ A Sampling of Cultural Haiku
    Sandlot Haiku and the Democracy of the Internet [first publication here]
    Savouring Salvage [first publication here]
    A Short History of Haiku in California [on Haiku Society of America site]
    A Short History of Haiku in Washington [on Haiku Society of America site]      +
    Some Thoughts on Déjà-ku [first publication here]
    Striking Gold: The American Haiku Archive [first publication here]
    The Wriggling Koi [a short story]

Other Essays

    Writing Love Poems  [with one haiku]
     [much more to come]

Appreciating Haiku

    Approaching Infinity: A Favourite Haiku (Christopher Herold)
★ Beauty in Haiku (Kaneko Tohto)
    The Frayed Rope (Jane Reichhold)
    Heat Wave (Carole MacRury)
★ Issa’s Joy (Issa)
    Misreading Haiku (Roberta Beary)
    Nine Joys (David Lloyd) [first publication here]
    Subjective Touches (John Stevenson)
★ Three Ironside Haiku (Hamish Ironside)
    Two Favourite Haiku by Jerry Kilbride (Jerry Kilbride)

Linked Poetry

    An Introduction to Tan-Renga [first publication here]
    Give Rengay a Try

Tanka

Appreciating Tanka

Humour and Satire