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Survey Says . . . THF Forums

Every September the Board of Directors and Associates of The Haiku Foundation are sent a survey. Their responses help to guide our growth and direction. We’d like to broaden our input, and so we’ll be asking you to respond to a series of questions, one per week, over the next half-year. Your replies will be weighed in our assessment of our performance.

Today’s question: Forums

The forums host hundreds of members. We have a strong group of moderators and an excellent forum administrator. Many people have emerged as leaders in wide-ranging discussions. Activity is steady, and participants are vocal and committed.

Please assess how well The Haiku Foundation is delivering on this topic. Indicate your assessment of our performance to date by choosing one of the options:

Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

Abandon

Please feel free to add additional comments. Thank you in advance for your consideration, and for helping us make The Haiku Foundation a better resource.

This Post Has 13 Comments

  1. I mentioned Soundings, this post at THF, and THF Forums in general in short posts for a few of my blogs.

    * * *

    My goal is to send readers here, and I note Peter’s comments and also links provided by Alan etc. All very helpful.

    * * *

    Readers enjoyed learning about the International Haiku Poetry Day collaborative poem. Perhaps some day the posts from Soundings could also be collected in a special presentation, with an invitation to add more.

    * * *

    Thank you, Ellen

  2. Soundings, of course, is still open.

    I had great hopes for it at the outset. It seemed to me that writers love to learn what other writers are reading and finding inspirational, provocative, mysterious, challenging, and so on. The challenge of Soundings was (and still is) to say a few things about the poem, about how it effects you.

    I tried to be clear that there are many ways to do this, many ways “to be a part of the conversation”, as Ellen says.

    The “conversation” has stalled. There are no doubt several reasons for this, all of which apply to
    other forums. (Soundings is not a true forum, of course). One reason is that some people believe that to write about a poem requires some kind of academic training, that it is an intellectual thing, asking for articulation which will stand up to inspection.

    I had hoped that those who wished to write from such a standpoint would feel welcome to do so,
    but equally that those who did not would find their own way as equally valid. I suppose that is demonstrated to some extent in contributions that have already been made.

    Another reason Soundings has stalled may simply be that many people who might be inclined to
    contribute simply do not visit the site very often. (Administers might disabuse me of this notion).
    When I set up Sails, there was fairly lively discussion on a bunch of themes, with about a dozen or so “regulars”. It worked for a while. With Field Notes, I realized that if it was to work in any kind of sustained way, I would have to do considerable outreach— that is, invite people to contribute, and send out reminders and encouragements. That was an improvement.

    I would say that the same sort of outreach would help with Soundings, personal requests to various writers to contribute something. At one point I thought I would do that on a regular basis. I have not. The law of diminishing returns seems to come into effect at some point. It did with Sails and Field Notes. People tend to like the idea more than the execution.

    But Soundings is still open. It still holds promise. But promise requires committment. I would say that anyone who feels the same could do one or two things: contribute a poem (followed by others over time) which has meant something to you and a say a few words about in whatever way appeals to you. The other thing you can do is personally contact other writers and ask them to contribute something.

    Peter Yovu

    1. Thanks Peter, for your informative comment.
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      I love the idea of:
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      “But Soundings is still open. It still holds promise. But promise requires commitment.”
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      And…
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      ” …contribute a poem…which has meant something to you and a say a few words about in whatever way appeals to you.”
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      I agree, as it’s wonderful to see newcomers to haiku talk about haiku. I used to sell my haiku in urban Art Trails; as well as Christmas Stalls. It was surprising how informative a lay person was about the haiku poems on display. People that might rarely read longer poetry, but when they see a haiku or more, they somehow feel invited.
      .
      I would always say quiet, and not tell them I was the author of the haiku they were reading on cards, fridge magnets etc… And I would always learn something invaluable from those people from outside the whole poetry community, and what they would say as a family group was on a par with any expert.
      .
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      So whether you are new to haiku but discovered something that moved you, or you are a regular reader of haiku, I’d love to hear your favourites. 🙂
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      Weblinks:

      Soundings, first page, introducing the theme:
      https://www.thehaikufoundation.org/forum_sm/index.php?topic=6656.0
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      And the current last page of three pages of posts:
      https://www.thehaikufoundation.org/forum_sm/index.php?topic=6656.30
      .
      If you register for The Haiku Foundation you will actually see there is quite a lot of regular activity and sometimes mini-discussions occur within a critique of a haiku someone wishes feedback on, so they can then submit it for publication in a haiku magazine etc…
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      TO REGISTER if you’d love to post a haiku you really like and say a few words about it, why it touched you, what made it zing for you. 🙂
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      Come on in, the water is warm, and there’s no sharks, just dolphins. 🙂
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      Alan
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    2. Dear Peter,

      I would be happy to invite others to contribute to Soundings, both from my blogs and through emails, one person at a time. This is how I have been sharing the Education page work, for the most part, this past year. All works together.

      *

      With my WordPress blogs, I can reblog posts (bloggers vary in their personal policies about this). I’ve given readers permission to reblog any of my poems. WordPress always returns readers to the original content, very careful and respectful. I don’t know if that kind of reblog feature could be added here. But it allows for a lot to be shared, and in the words of the person who wrote a post. Nothing lost in translation. Perhaps that would be too complicated here, with so many poets and the permissions process.

      *

      For now, I think I could write an invitation that would be in accord with what you say. Or I could quote from you directly. Either way I would credit you and Soundings and THF.

      *

      You know, once upon a time I was in the academic world for years, in education. When I began with haiku in 1993, I simply needed a new way to learn for a time. With my work with Jim Kacian and others for the education page, it seems different approaches are beginning to integrate for me now. Everyone has a story!

      *

      Thank you again for your warm welcome, Peter, Alan and many others too. I wanted to honor that. THF is so welcoming to all . . . always another place at the table.

      *

      Ellen

      1. Dear Alan, Thank you. At first, a few years ago, THF Forums seemed like more of a place for a more technical conversation about craft, from an academic perspective. And so beyond me. I mentioned this in a past comment, and Peter Yovu encouraged me to try, to realize the many ways to be a part of the conversation. I registered and learned how to post in the forums. One day I lost what I wrote, which was fine, and learned to be careful about the time, being sure I have another copy of my work etc. There is always a learning curve, and I love to learn. Then I enjoyed being able to compose and edit, with the Forum format. I learn best by reading a lot, and simply practicing every day. Learning styles vary, and great that there are so many ways to learn at THF. I honor them all . . .

        *

        The Soundings discussion was a place for my more informal and personal style of writing. I wrote several posts where I connected a favorite haiku to the Midwest, USA, where I have always lived. Sandra Simpson thought her readers at HAIKU NZ would enjoy reading about the Midwest, so some of my posts became the August 2014 “My Favourite Haiku” at the NZ site (with permission of course). Sandra in turn linked back to THF Forums. Then I wrote a few more posts for Soundings. All new writing, and grateful for the inspiration here.

        *
        So many ways to learn and participate at THF. I imagine every year will be different. I’ve been online with my first WordPress blog since December 2009. It is always changing, always a work-in-progress. Readers express appreciation for learning about THF from blogs.

        *

        Thank you for the many ways you moderate comments and encourage so many people. Ellen

  4. I write what I call ‘Sequence” haiku – Usually 10 haiku about the same event or or subject.Would there be any call for that in troutswirl?

  5. .
    Hi Alden and Derek,
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    I help behind the scenes re moderation against things like spam etc… but also comment on the beginners forum aka Mentoring – Beginner, and sometimes on the Mentoring – Advanced.
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    I’d be interested to know what topics and themes within haiku that you’d like to pursue. What kind of discussions would you like?
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    For instance I kickstarted some time ago a discussion which was recently reopened by one of our newest members:
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    In-Depth Haiku: Free Discussion Area:
    cliché in haiku

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    And also in the other discussion section of THF:
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    New to Haiku: Free Discussion Area:
    * Opening Lines: Sometimes the clock strikes thirteen
    *Personification and anthropomorphism in haiku
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    In fact one discussion I thought would be popular went very quiet, and I wondered if either of you might care to open it up? 🙂
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    weblink:
    Comments welcomed for Characteristics of English Haiku:
    https://www.thehaikufoundation.org/forum_sm/index.php?topic=1334.0
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    If you aren’t a Forum member do please consider joining, new voices are always welcome, and help to create new waves of interest.
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    warmest regards,
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    Alan
    .

  6. I cannot agree with the statement that “activity is steady”. Not in the discussions. There are currently no real signs of life.

    1. I have to agree… While not the slowest or least active forums on the ‘net, they’re in the running.

      They really could use more publicity.

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