Embracing the Spirit of Haiku: A Tribute to the Beat Generation’s Legacy
By Elisabeth Montgomery, Ph.D., GCDF
Co-Founder and President of the ruth weiss Foundation
I first learned about haiku in fourth grade. My journey started in a classroom in 1964 at Amadon Elementary in Washington, DC, where the indomitable Ms. Anastasia Panos sowed the seeds of poetic innovation. She introduced our class to the enchanting world of haiku, its syllabic rhythm echoing through the ages. It helped my bilingual classmates from Nigeria, Puerto Rico, and Vietnam, as well as me, to write images in English ~ differently.
The legacy of haiku extends beyond the classroom, finding its intellectual center in Europe at the British Haiku Society, which started in 1990 and provides excellent resources for teachers, writers, and genre lovers. See: http://britishhaikusociety.org.uk/teaching-haiku.
When was the first time you heard of haiku?
American literary luminaries like Jack Kerouac, the trailblazing wordsmith, seamlessly blended American life's essence with haiku's simplicity. His devotion to this poetic form, infused with the spirit of Bebop jazz, is a testament to haiku's enduring appeal and adaptability in diverse cultural landscapes. For a reference on notable American haiku poets, see an extraordinary range of poets at https://terebess.hu/english/usa/haiku.html.
Alongside Kerouac, ruth weiss wove vibrant haiku into her art, infusing their poems with American language liberties and breathing new life into this ancient form. Both poets were English language learners. Kerouac, raised in Lowell, Massachusetts, was of French-Canadian descent and learned English as a second language (ESL). And ruth weiss spoke German, having escaped Nazi Germany as a child refugee during WWII. English teachers find that a course in haiku can help all students open to creative imagery, especially ESL students. Teachers of ESL can access meaningful curricula for language learning at https://blog.teslontario.org/haiku-a-humble-but-mighty-tool-in-esl/.
Notably, the haiku's influence transcended the boundaries of traditional Japanese structure, finding a new incarnation in the hands of ruth weiss, a poet-artist-filmmaker whose creative vision defied convention. We invite poets and enthusiasts from every corner of the globe to partake in the 2024 ruth weiss Foundation Poetry Contest, where the spirit of haiku meets the boundless creativity of the modern world. Unleash your imagination, pen your thoughts in the cherished 5-7-5 syllabic pattern, and let the essence of the season or time of year permeate your verses. If you want to explore more about haiku and its variety of forms, check out https://thehaikufoundation.org/learn/the-haiku-foundation-education-wall/
Join us in paying homage to the timeless allure of haiku, a form of expression that transcends language and culture. It invites us to embrace the beauty of brevity and the power of evocative imagery. Seize this opportunity to be part of a living legacy where the echoes of elementary school teachings, Kerouac's poetic fervor, and ruth weiss's artistic innovation converge to celebrate haiku poetry.
Join us in celebrating the art of haiku on ruth weiss’s birthday – June 24, 2024 – she would be 95 years old and born in the Year of the Dragon: ruth thrived where simplicity became a canvas for boundless creativity.
Submit your masterpiece and stand a chance to honor the spirit of haiku and etch your name in the annals of poetic excellence.
