Virginia Western Community College Haiku Contest
Haiku can be …
An old silent pond…
A frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again.
by Basho (1644-1694)
Haiku can be …
The apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough.
“In a Station of the Metro” by Ezra Pound (1919)
Haiku can be …
Get used to your body, forget you were born, suddenly you got to get out!
“Approaching Seoul by Bus in Heavy Rain” by Allen Ginsberg (1990)
Haiku is a brief poetic form, traditionally using the 5-7-5 syllable structure of its Japanese origins, that captures a brief, illuminating moment in time.
- Haiku often incorporates vivid nature images, humor, and should be read in one breath.
- In its most traditional form, “Haiku was … written in the present tense and focused on associations between images. There was a pause at the end of the first or second line, and a ‘season word,’ or kigo, specified the time of year” (Academy of American Poets).
So, do you haiku?
- Visit the Japanese Print exhibit in the art gallery (H212) for inspiration after it opens this Wednesday, November 5th.
- Submit to the Virginia Western Haiku contest by emailing your submissions to awoodford@virginiawestern.edu. There will be separate categories for students and faculty/staff of VWCC. There will also be an impromptu Haiku board in the art gallery with its own contest. See the board and its guidelines to enter for another prize.
- Deadline November 16, 2014.
First prize is a $100 Barnes and Noble Gift Card.
Second prize is a $50 Barnes and Noble Gift Card.
(One each for student submissions and faculty/staff submissions.)
Winners will be announced at the International Students Club Festival on November, 21, 2014
