The Librarian’s Cache – THF Haiga Resources
In Juxta Haiga, Stephen Addiss writes that Haiga is the Japanese term for a combination of haiku poems and visual images — hai comes from haiku, and ga is the Japanese word for painting. Haiga have been slow to develop outside Japan, but in recent years more and more poets, and some painters, have experimented with the form. Haiga resources on THF’s website include:
Haiga Galleries – Today haiga is practiced around the world and the Haiku Foundation honors today’s masters by offering galleries of their work. More than 40 artists are featured so far and some of the featured artists include:
- Shilpa Bharti – She explores the nature of the universe, nature, implementation of Buddhist philosophy in life and later bends towards the country, society, family and human emotion.
- John Hawkhead – John’s haiga, photo-haiku and art have appeared in many publications on-line and in print format.
- Guy Beining – Guy’s art looks like no one else’s. For one thing, it commonly features the written (often typed) word, which is a relative rarity in Western art.
- Jean LeBlanc – Jean is an assistant professor of English at Sussex County Community College. and she writes both short-form and long-form poetry.
Some of the Haiga videos in THF’s collection include:
- The Haiga Artist’s Process – Dian Duchin Reed – Dian Duchin Reed is an award-winning writer and photographer, Dian says, “[A] picture plus a haiku – which is to say, haiga – can yield a thousand insights” and she discusses her method for creating haiga in this video.
- The Haiku Foundation Video Haiga #1: clouds / Jim Kacian – This video haiga is by Jim Kacian, founder of Red Moon Press and The Haiku Foundation. Music is the first movement of String Quartet #9 by Ben Johnson,, performed by the Kepler Quartet.
- Lidia Rozmus: Haiga – A compilation of photo haiku by Chicago are poet and artist Lidia Rozmus, narrated by the author. Part of the Evergreen Haiku Circle series for 2018, hosted by Michigan State University. Music by Steve Hodge.
- The Haiku Foundation Video Haiga #11: warm voices / Ron C. Moss – This video haiga, shot in one take, shows the creation of a haiga of the more usual sort: ink on paper, by the poet and artist Ron C. Moss. Music by Yusuke Tsutsume.
