What if?
If you love haiku, you probably feel a special connection to a poet. That connection might begin when a single poem sends a thrill through you, a jolt of recognition. How does that happen and why? Through what art is the poet able to reach out to you through language, sound, rhythm, image?
What of those who are no longer with us? What if we could go back across space and time with digital video and audio recording equipment, ask our favorite poets a few concise questions, and then let them expound? To see their gestures and facial expressions, to hear their unique voices colored by regional and personal nuances—that would be something special, wouldn’t it?
What of the scholars and translators who helped bring haiku into the English language? Wouldn’t it be great if we could bring digital a/v equipment to New York City circa 1935 to converse with Harold G. Henderson about topics that puzzled him then, and still puzzle us today?
Going forward, what if we could stop asking “what if” and create a Video Archive, which we would make available to everyone for free on THF’s website?
If that hope resonates with you, please check out our campaign to raise funds for
The Haiku Foundation Video Archive
and be sure to check out the terrific video that leads off the presentation.
To all of you who have helped out so far, thank you!
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Just as we all have stories to tell, points of view, changing moods, so do the individuals who will contribute their voices to the Video Archive. The goal is to create a free resource anyone can benefit from. To strengthen connections, to be open to possibility, to share… we can do all that together.
I have many “favorite” haiku and poets. Seems to change with my changing moods. It will be great to have all the recordings and videos since hearing the poet, you really feel something that you can’t get off the printed page.
Mr. Wilson — Re: Henderson, Blyth, and Yasuda did more harm than good is . . . ah . . . an interesting comment. Can you elaborate and give examples of “today’s resultant banality”?
This is a wonderful idea. Not only does it resonate now, but it will for years to come. Many thanks to all who devote their time, energy, resources and creativity.
Don, Lilliput Review
Henderson lacked a thorough understanding of haiku. His perception was stained by the German based university system. He, Blyth, and Yasuda, did more harm to the genre than good. Yes, they popularized the genre, but they also contributed to its colonization and today’s resultant banality.