Writing and Enjoying Haiku: A Hands-on Guide (ISBN 4770028865)

The Way of Haiku:
Simply yet elegantly written, this book provides good pointers on writing haiku. More than just imparting tips on writing techniques, Reichhold explores the philosophical principles behind haiku, which emphasise the importance of seeing with the heart and leaving aside one's ego in the approach to life. Haiku is a way of life - The Way of Haiku.

"AM I SET IN MY WAYS?":
Yes, I am doubtless set in my ways. Set like concrete? an Antiquity writing . . . Haiku, not 'in-the-know'? Jane Reichhold's 2002 "Guide" presents many ideas about writing haiku that are new to my experience, and perhaps too staccato for my taste. As well as asking, "Am I set in my ways?" . . . I must also ask, "Where have I been?" Fortunately I do not feel compelled to please the multitudes when writing haiku. For years I have been greatly influenced by suggestions that there is therapeutic value in writing peotry. Richard Wright's experience seemed of such value I have wished to follow his example. (See "Haiku, This Other World" by R. Wright, isbn #1559704454) He wrote: "The low of a cow Answers a train's long whistle In the summer dusk" Isn't it inescapable that one's personal style is an important ingredient of an individual's haiku? I feel that the author sometimes contadicts herself, or perhaps she is simply offering us more latitude as we find our own style? My favorite haiku in this volume by the author herself is the dedication: blue ink the words not yet written in the iris (This commentary-with-a-small-'c' is by mcHaiku, 7-3-08)

Good to read after you know the basics:
This is an excellent book about the Haiku style. Jane Reichhold is a talented writer. She presents her information in an engaging and interesting manner, and she covers a lot of information that I haven't encountered in other Haiku books, such as the forms of Cinquain and Sijo, which aren't Japanese, but which are similar in form to the haiku. Her work is compelling and comprehensive It's called a "hands-on guide" but don't read anything into that at all. By "hands-on" she means she invites readers to scribble whatever kind of notes they want to in the margins. By that definition, every book is a "hands-on" guide. It's not a workbook. There are no exercises. My only complaint is that the structure is all over the place. If you already know something about haiku and its associated forms like senryu, tanka, renga, haibun, and haiga, you'll pick up a lot of information about the styles and techniques of the pivot, the line connection, the way the imagery should work, and the types of links from this book. If you're coming at this as your first book, you'll be confused. Start with something like How to Haiku and then come back to this.

Frustrating Style, Some Good Ideas:
There are a number of stylistic annoyances in Jane Reichold's "Writing and Enjoying Haiku": her too-frequent, idiosyncratic use of the passive voice; her proclivity for "persons" instead of "people"; a tone that aims for conversational but comes off as unpolished; and the air of haiku-as-mysticism that weighs upon much of the presentation. Despite all this, Reichold has some genuinely good tips for writers. Her ideas for writing exercises (rephrase each line of a haiku you already know) and teaching haiku (write one on the board each day without necessarily discussing it, for the class to digest), among others, may suggest fresh possibilities to both experienced writers and haiku beginners. Two caveats: one, a dearth of examples can make it hard to appreciate some of the techniques she attempts to describe; many techniques do not include even one example. Two, the focus here is on the practice of haiku--reading and writing them. For a more wide-ranging introduction, see William Higginson's Haiku Handbook. ~

Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!:
I think the title said it all. If you write Haiku or are fascinated by Haiku get this book!