International Haiku Poetry Day

April 17 is the day the whole world honors haiku. Registered by Sari Grandstaff in 2007 and initiated as a project of The Haiku Foundation in 2012, International Haiku Poetry Day occurs in the heart of the United States’ celebration of National Poetry Month. The Haiku Foundation encourages public events, including readings, exhibitions and competitions. It also sponsors events in three domains:

HaikuLife Haiku Film Festival

This collection of short films, created by individual poets, groups, and organizations, celebrates the diversity of haiku around the world, and includes the creation and presentation of chapbooks, group readings, announcements of special events, and much more.

EarthRise Rolling Haiku Collaboration

The world’s largest collaborative poem, this interactive shared event features poets’ responses to a “seed poem,” or to the responses of other poets, or even to the introduction of new threads aligned with the theme.

Haiku Gatherings

Even in our digital age, the heart of haiku is meeting with fellow poets to read, write, and share poetry together, often in the context of a nature walk (gingko, a café reading, a museum presentation, or other public gathering).

We also choose this day to announce the winners of the annual prestigious Touchstone Awards.

Want to host an event? Or create a video? We’d love to have you participate! Contact us for more details.

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