Haiku Chronicles

Undoubtedly a controversial piece, these excerpts from "The Narrow Thread" by Anita Virgil trace an innermost theme in Basho's poetry. In 2004 Ray Bradbury wrote to Virgil calling it "fascinating." The complete essay of "The Narrow Thread" is available in the Haiku Chronicles, Reading Room at: www.haikuchronicles.com

Q&A episode with the Global Haiku Students from Millikin University. Thanks to Professor Randy Brooks and the students from Millikin for their insightful questions. Special thanks to our Haiku Chronicles panelist, poet Anita Virgil for her participation and input on questions in this episode.

The Haiku related form HAIBUN is the focus of this episode, including readings of contemporary haibun by Cor van den Heuvel, Anita Virgil, Alan Pizzarelli, and Donna Beaver.

If you thought haiku was just a 17 syllable nature poem, you have another think coming! Important insights and distinctions are discussed by Anita Virgil. And she discloses her letter from Harold G. Henderson stating why he wanted haiku re-defined. The final definitions he approved are all here. Credits: Books referenced, One Potato Two Potato Etc., Peaks Press, copyright 1991 by Anita Virgil; A Haiku Path, The Haiku Society of America 1968-1988, copyright 1994 by The Haiku Society of America, Inc.

Poet Anita Virgil's invaluable "Guide to Haiku" plus the crafting of one classic haiku.

To celebrate Baseball and the World Series, Haiku Chronicles takes you "back to the ball game" with baseball haiku. Discussion and readings of baseball haiku and senryu by Cor van den Heuvel, Ed Markowski, Alan Pizzarelli, and Donna Beaver. Credit Information: Special thanks to the W. W. Norton & Company publisher of Baseball Haiku edited by Cor van den Heuvel and Nanae Tamura and the Chautauqua Institution, New York for the 2008 audio segments of Ed Markowski.  The Haydn Quartet with Harry MacDonough singing, Take me Out to the Ball Game (cir. 1908, Public Domain).

This episode focuses on the more contemporary poets and poems from the Haiku Anthology with guest Cor van den Heuvel. Credit Information: Special thanks to WHYY, Inc., Philadelphia for the 1975 audio segments of Nick Virgilio and Virginia Brady Young.  WHYY, Philadelphia

Part II, features a reading and discussion of haiku poetry by Allen Ginsberg; with guest Cor van den Heuvel. Donna Beaver and Alan Pizzarelli continue their discussion with guest Cor van den Heuvel on the history of American haiku highlighting the Beat Poets. This episode also features a reading and discussion of haiku poetry by Allen Ginsberg from his lectures at Naropa University. Credit Information: Special thanks to Bob Rosenthal, the Allen Ginsberg Project and Naropa University for the haiku segments from Allen Ginsberg’s poetry classes, “On Vividness and Close Observation in Writing” (1982) and “On Writing Poetry” (1984) at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Allen Ginsberg Project: http://www.allenginsberg.org/ Naropa University Archives: http://www.archive.org/details/naropa  

Part I, Cor van den Heuvel joins hosts Donna Beaver and Alan Pizzarelli to discuss the history of American haiku.

In this episode Donna Beaver and Alan Pizzarelli discuss the distinction between the poetic forms of Haiku and Senryu, the origins of Senryu in Japan, and its rediscovery and recognition as a poetic form in English literature. Credit for choral arrangements of Alan Pizzarelli's Senryu: "the fat lady" Performed by The Marietta Choir "buzzZ" Commissioned by soprano Maria Knapik-Sztramko for the Guelph Spring Festival, May 19, 1993 Ontario, Canada For more on Haiku Chronicles visit: http://www.haikuchronicles.com Haiku Chronicles copyright 2009

This episode of Haiku Chronicles takes us back to 16th century Japan when the first great Japanese master of haiku, Matsuo Basho wrote his breakthrough haiku, "Furu-Ike-Ya" (Old Pond). Donna Beaver and Alan Pizzarelli discuss the poem's interesting history and its influence on the poetic form of haiku.

To celebrate Poetry Month the Haiku Chronicles takes you back to March of 1979 where poets Al Pizzarelli, Cor van den Heuval, Anita Virgil, Bill Higginson, and Penny Harter recorded a reading of their poems at Studio 198 in Newark, NJ. For more on Haiku Chronicles visit: www.haikuchronicles.com Haiku Chronicles copyright 2009