Raking Sand

An interview with Virginia Brady Young, past president of the Haiku Society of America, by vincent tripi, on the art and craft of haiku poetry. Introduced by Ebba Story.

The rocks at Ryōanji . . .

a bent monk

raking sand.

Virginia Brady Young

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1993, saddle-stapled, 28 pages, 5½ x 8½ inches, ISBN 978-1-878798-07-3

• “Haiku is challenging, at least for most poets. If you disagree and think it is easy to write, perhaps you are settling too soon for too little.” —Virginia Brady Young

• “The interview contains practical discussions on writing habits, developing haiku sequences, overcoming blocks, and achieving clear definitions for haiku and senryu. Virginia and vince go on to share their deep feelings on the profound value of silence. They also acknowledge the poet’s need for companionship—to have a ‘key person’ who can be absolutely trusted to evaluate one’s writing. Virginia recounts wonderfully vivid stories. We see her as a young city bride discovering an amazing odor in her husband’s countryside. We are present at Ryōanji temple where a monk raking sand astonishingly transforms her perception. And she speaks joyfully of walking into a wild hurricane wind. In her replies, Virginia hints at an underlying and abiding trust in the universe.” —from the introduction by Ebba Story

• An excerpt from this interview, “Leaping The Chasm: An Interview with Virginia Brady Young,” first appeared in Woodnotes #17, Summer 1993, a month before the book was published.

• See also On My Mind, vincent tripi’s interview with Anita Virgil.