Really? Haiku Has a Fourth Line?

Post date: Aug 19, 2012 6:15:23 AM

Two new additions to the Essays page are “On a First-Name Basis: Deepening Haiku with its ‘Fourth Line’” and “Pronunciation Guide for Names of Haiku Poets.” The first essay appeared in issue 1:1 of Multiverses in June of 2012. The second essay, essentially a list, was originally part of the first essay, but didn’t quite work in that context. Nevertheless, the content seemed worthwhile to preserve, so I’ve made it an independent page, and hope to add more names and pronunciations to it in the future (it could especially be updated with the names of more recently active haiku poets). And of course, the first essay is worthwhile, I hope, for its exploration of the value of the poet’s name that appears after each haiku—the poem’s “fourth line”—adding potential biographical, geographical, and other contexts and meanings to the poem. As always, comments welcome!