Haiku Theory

Jan 23 2025 20 ep. 16 mins 8
Haiku Theory Podcast artwork

"Haiku Theory" is a thought-provoking podcast delving deep into the theory of haiku, the centuries-old form of Japanese poetry renowned for its profundity. Each episode investigates a specific aspect of haiku theory, summarizing key ideas found in the writings of the deepest thinkers on haiku throughout the centuries and across the globe. Whether you're a seasoned haiku enthusiast or a newcomer to the world of haiku, "Haiku Theory" welcomes you to immerse yourself in the beauty and wisdom of this timeless art form.

  Education  Society & Culture
RSS feed Share
Copy RSS


Subscribe on Podcast Addict


Episode 20: Care Ethics and Haiku

Jan 23 2025 13 mins  
In a world that often feels disconnected, haiku offers a unique way to nurture our capacity for care. In this episode we read Ce Rosenow and Maurice Hamington’s 'A Careful Poetics: Caring Imagination, Caring Habits, and Haiku,' which explores the intersection of care ethics and aesthetic theory, focusing on how haiku can enhance our capacity for care. We discuss how haiku, with

Episode 19: Meaning and Experience

Dec 19 2024 15 mins  
Meaning and Experience The interplay of meaning and experience in haiku both captivates and frustrates readers and writers alike. In this episode, we delve into Richard Gilbert’s concept of Collocation and Roland Barthes’ Narrative Codes, examining how these theories illuminate the structures of language—and what they reveal about the life and death of haiku. Click Her

Episode 18: Jacques Lacan and Haiku

Dec 13 2024 22 mins  
Within haiku is a tension between silence and expression that mirrors the complex relationship between desire and its unattainable fulfillment. In this episode, we delve into Ian Marshall’s essay, Jouissance among the Kire: A Lacanian Approach to Haiku, to explore Jacques Lacan’s concept of Jouissance and its connection to haiku’s emphasis on the ineffable, the unsaid, a

Episode 17: Disjunction

Dec 02 2024 20 mins  
Dwelling beneath the formal aspect of Juxtaposition is the force of Disjunction, a force that disrupts perception and challenges the very notion of what a haiku is. In today’s episode, we explore Richard Gilbert’s essay The Disjunctive Dragonfly, which shifts the conversation about haiku from what haiku is, to how haiku work. Gilbert argues that the true power of haiku lies

Episode 16: Copying Haiku Product, Problem, and Process

Nov 14 2024 15 mins  
“Good artists copy, great artists steal.” This quote is attributed to Picasso, but what does it actually mean for Haiku? Come along as we dig into a theory of crafting original haiku by copying the works of others. In this episode we'll be investigating the theory of copying put forth by Michele Root-Bernstein in her essay 'Copying to Create: The Role of Imitation and Emulat

Episode 15: Impossibility of Realism in Haiku

Jun 07 2024 17 mins  
Is Realism a false idol of haiku? Is the understanding of Haiku being "a nature poem" a false understanding? Come along as we explore how Realism interacts with haiku...or even if Realism interacts with haiku at all. In this episode we will be discussing Jim Kacian’s essay "Realism is Dead (and Always Was)." To read the essay in its entirety CLICK HERE To contact the po

Episode 14: Juxtaposition: cutting and joining

May 29 2024 18 mins  
The linking of juxtaposed components is a formal aspect of haiku, so what are the rules of linking two components together, and what variety of linking methods are there? Come along as we explore The Art of Juxtaposition: cutting and joining, by Haruo Shirane. The ideas discussed in this episode can also be explored in Shirane’s paper Matsuo Bashō and the Poetics of Scen

Episode 13: Haiku Commentary & Interpretation

May 15 2024 14 mins  
Come along as we take a closer look at three specific contemporary haiku offering commentary and interpretation. Ben Oliver’s haiku was published by Presence, Britan’s leading independent haiku journal. Richard Tindall’s haiku was published in the Heron’s Nest. Fay Aoyagi’s collection of haiku, Chrysanthemum Love, can be found Here. To contact the podcast em

Episode 12: The Problem with Kigo

Apr 25 2024 20 mins  
Can English-language haiku actually contain a Kigo? Come along in our exploration of the problems the concept of Kigo causes for English-language haiku as we discuss Charles Trumbull’s essay “Seasonality: English-Language Haiku in Search of its Vertical.” Charles Trumbull’s essay “Seasonality: English-Language Haiku in Search of its Vertical” can be read by Clickin

Episode 11: Capitalistic Haiku

Apr 11 2024 19 mins  
Are haiku actually wicked machines working to spread the exploitive tenets of Global Capitalism? In this episode we look at Dimitar Anakiev’s concept of “Capitalistic Haiku,” as we review two articles, which can be found below. Jack Galmitz’s review of Dimitar Anakiev’s haiku collection 'Rustics' can be found at the Haiku Foundation by Clicking Here. The review begins