[.ca] Writing and Enjoying Haiku: A Hands-on Guide (ISBN 4770028865)

good with inaccuracies:
The trouble with a handbook is that the unaware reader will assume that the writer of the handbook can't be wrong. ms. reichhold is wrong about a lot. she didn't get the scheme right for the 2 poet rengay which is a real mistake. there are confusions between metaphor and simile (simile uses "like") and it is confusing taht in her own haiku, ms. reichhold doesnt seem to know the difference. also, all of the haiku samples were written by her which i never saw before in any other haiku book. this is not a good book for a new haiku hobbyist. it might be good for a grad school course in proofreading a writing textbook with inaccuracies.

I Thoroughly Recommend this Book!:
Years ago, when I first started writing haiku I read all the how-to books that were then on the market. Thus, when I heard about Jane Reichhold's new book "Writing and Enjoying Haiku: A Hands-on- Guide" I thought, there probably won't be much that I don't already know, but I bought the book anyway, just because it was written by Jane. Was I surprised! I learned so much that was new not only about haiku, but tanka and renga as well. Now, after reading the book, I feel I can look at a haiku and understand so much better why it works or doesn't, and have the vocabulary and tools to analyze and improve my own work and that of others. Only Jane Reichhold, with her extensive background in literature and journalism and her genuine passion for the Japanese forms, could have amassed and synthesized all this material and then made it so clear and accessible to anyone. Bravo! I am recommending the book to everyone I know!

Hints and suggestions for haiku writers:
This is a book that summarizes the state of the art of haiku writing in English which is different of haiku writing in other cultures such as Japanese or French. It is a way of rooting haiku writing in present momments of psychological awareness. The consequence is a way of grasping daily life events just as they are and expressing it ineffably. This book handles a large list of rules, criteria, hints that once examined must be discarded first and reinvented afterwards through haiku writing. It includes also important details regarding how to publish and make haiku writing a useful tool in occupations word were fluency, expresiveness and precision are a requisite. Somehow haiku writing operates as a projective technique for human minds.

Excellent Overview:
Excellent overview of Haiku. What I found especially satisfying is an overview of the type of mindset one needs to assume when writing Haiku. Writing Haiku can truly be a form of meditation in itself.

Enjoy the Form, Revel in This Book......:
This is one of those rare books I did not want to end. I wanted to savor each word as I highlighted, wrote in and slowly weaved my way through it. The author, Jane Reichhold, manages to write from a place of expert while staying exceptionally accessible. This book could be embraced by those new to haiku as well as those who have been exploring haiku for a lifetime. Reichhold balances the rules with license for freedom, "sternness" with light humor and is graceful the entire way through. What a delight. I will have to buy several copies to give to anyone remotely interested in poetry..... actually, in living a fulfilling life for that matter!