Writing Haiku led by Maeve O’Sullivan
Location: The Blasket Centre
Date: Saturday 19 November
Time: 14.00 – 17.00 IST/GMT
Cost: €35
Who the workshop is for
This workshop is suitable both for absolute beginners in writing any type of poetry, and for poets and other writers / artists who may have experimented with the haiku form already and are curious to learn about it in some more depth.
In this workshop, you will get a short history of the haiku, with examples, and learn some key techniques for writing haiku. You will participate in a composition stroll, on which we will seek inspiration in the season’s sights, sounds and smells. Then some of the haiku will be workshopped.
What the workshop covers
Hour 1: Introduction to the haiku form and its history, with examples from classical and contemporary poets. Sharing of specific techniques for writing haiku: ‘dos & don’ts’
Hour 2: Preparation for a ginko / composition stroll in the vicinity of the centre. Writing and editing of haiku written on the ginko.
Hour 3: Conducting of a workshop of some of the haiku written on today’s ginko.
Also suggestions for haiku journals for reading & submissions and the sharing of other haiku-related resources.
What you can expect
What will happen on the day:
Please arrive with a notebook and pen/pencil (or smartphone, if you prefer to use the notes on that). Bring ‘sensible’ walking shoes and a rain jacket and/or umbrella for the walk as well. Please note that only haiku written on the workshop will be discussed, so there’s no need to bring any work with you.
The first hour will be spent introducing you to the haiku form in the venue (see above for content).
The second hour will be spent mostly on the ginko, or composition stroll, in the area around the Blasket Centre (weather permitting), with a Plan B for inside the centre, should the weather prove too inclement. During this hour, you will also write up and edit your haiku, with accompanying helpful notes.
The third hour will be spent workshopping some of the haiku written on the walk, using a special technique which starts with participants submitting their haiku anonymously and then voting for their favourites, also anonymously.
What outcomes can be expected:
Participants should come away from this course with:
A strong knowledge about, and understanding of, the haiku form: its history (in Japanese and in English), how it differs from other types of poetry and how you go about writing one.
Confidence in their ability to read haiku in a meaningful way, to write and edit their own verses to a decent standard, and to have an idea about where to submit them.
Workshop Leader – Maeve O’Sullivan
Dubliner Maeve O’Sullivan works part-time as a tutor of journalism and communications in further education. Her poetry and haikai have been widely published, anthologised, awarded and translated over the last 25 years. Maeve has had five collections published with Alba Publishing (UK): Initial Response (2011), Vocal Chords (2014), A Train Hurtles West (2015), Elsewhere (2017) and Wasp on the Prayer Flag (2021). She is a former winner of the Listowel Writers’ Week Poetry Competition, and her work has been nominated for both the Forward Prize (poetry) and the Touchstone Award (haiku).
Maeve is a member of the Irish Writers’ Centre, the British Haiku Society and the Hibernian Poetry Workshop. She is also a member of the Poetry Divas spoken word collective, which has performed at various festivals across Ireland. She leads workshops in haiku and related forms and also writes features and reviews for a number of publications including The Dublin Review of Books and the Books Ireland magazine.
Website URL: www.maeveosullivan.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/writefromwithin
Facebook: www.facebook.com/maeveosullivanpoetry
Cancellation/Refund Policy
You are entitled to a refund within one week of your payment, (less card processing fee of 2.00% of the workshop fee) provided that the workshop has not already started.
We cannot refund fees in respect of cancellation after this time. We cannot offer partial refunds to students who do not finish the workshop.