Grix and their meandering haiku was the first of its kind, and Kat Lehmann followed much later with sudo-ku and other experiments you'll start to see in journals.
The Trailblazer Contest need not have experimental or highly experimental work. Personally I feel you are up to doing your own multi-ku version so why not have fun coming up with something?
You have nothing to lose. The judges (I decided to be a non-voting team member) will be looking at authentic work that sets their nerve endings tingling (you do that with your haibun already). Nothing gimmicky, need not be innovative, just something raw, to the point, and connects with the judges and makes them sit up. The judges should be looking for something they wish they had written and/or something that doesn't only connect (that's easy) but jolts them and alters their take on how haiku (or tanka etc...) could and even should be written.
Do not dismiss yourself, remember, I've seen your work, so I know you are Trailblazer quality already.
Trailblazer: https://www.trailblazercontest.comAlan
Grix:
Controlled Chaos
(a series of meandering haiku)
Artist's statement:
In this collection of penned landscapes, I want to invite readers to take a leisurely walk through the words, the way one might through a field or forest. The words are loosely grouped, similarly to how wildflowers or saplings might be found, in relative proximity to one another, yet in no strict order or arrangement. This allows the space for other words to mix their way in, akin to plants spreading at the root and growing into one another.
With this form, much focus is put on drawing the reader in to interact with the haiku—but not only that. What I wanted more than anything was to reinforce the idea that no two people will experience the reading of any haiku in the same way. My hope was that this method of writing and arranging would lead to the sequences being read in a variety of directions and configurations, encouraging the reader to insert themselves by manipulating the language and filling their own words into these new arrangements. Each meandering haiku consists of a mixed sequence written such that each can be read as three primary haiku, as well as numerous secondary and tertiary haiku. There is no correct way to read them.
https://sonicboomjournal.wixsite.com/sonicboom/grix
Kat Lehmann does multi-ku and she created sudo-ku:
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:0pzCY3HfnOIJ:https://www.humankindjournal.org/humanities/a-sudo-ku-by-kat-lehmann+&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&client=firefox-b-d
and
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:fGIpTFRKMzwJ:https://www.humankindjournal.org/sciences/a-sudo-ku-by-kat-lehmann+&cd=16&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&client=firefox-b-d
The trick is to create something that is a single entity, so one 'ku' whereas haiku sequences are a series of 'ku'.
The Japanese word for a single verse is 'ku'.
the reason i ask this is because of the trailblazer contest submission guidelines.
it says no sequences but multi-ku are fine. i googled. can’t find any discussion or explanation/ definition of multi-ku.
so. . .what is the difference?
lorraine
morning Alan,
thanks for responding so quickly.
i have seen Kate’s sudoku in Grix’ presentation in june. i’d never seen anything like it and i didn’t know Grix had a body of work based on the same _____.
this will take some processing.
never caught on to Bjerg parallels.
i have nothing to offer trailblazer at this time.
lorraine
Topic: difference between a haiku sequence and a multi-ku (Read 1173 times)