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haiku penguin






Guidelines
Your haiku
The topic for your news haiku can be anything currently in the news: world events, politics, sporting occasions, environmental issues, stock markets, even literary launches...

What is a haiku?
Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry generally (but not always) consisting of 17 syllables, usually within three lines, with the first line containing five syllables, the second seven, and the third five again. Traditional haiku contain a kigo, a season word, and should form two contrasting parts, using a 'cutting word' or, in English, a hyphen or colon at the end of the first or second line to show the cutting. Your haiku should be in the form 5-7-5.

Pedants' corner
Strictly speaking, Guardian Unlimited Books topical haiku should be called senryuu - they deal with subjects other than nature and the seasons and tend to hold more strongly to the 5/7/5 form.


Useful links



want to win a prize?
encapsulate news events
in three simple lines

paint a word picture
in seventeen syllables
five-seven-five form

a haiku headline
snapshot of the world today
elucidation

The best topical haiku received will be posted on the site, and each week the overall winner will net its author £20 worth of Penguin Classics, to be selected from www.penguinclassics.com.

The winner for the previous week will be chosen on a Monday. For more information on new titles and the Penguin Classics site, click here.


Haiku takes a break

Haiku is taking a holiday. It may come back in an entirely different form. Watch this space for further information.

Thank you for all your entries over the years.

Last haiku winner

Wet, distant planet
Beware! Earthlings have found you.
Expect hosepipe ban
Mike Capay

Want more?

Links to Haiku Sites
A well-stocked portal leading to journals, online projects and home pages.

Dhugal J. Lindsay's Haiku Universe
Contains clear explanations of the differences between haiku, senryuu and tanka.

The Shiki Internet Haiku Salon
Well-stocked site which holds to the traditional form and subject matter.

Haiku
Lots of academic articles, and a list of 65 possible rules to follow...

SciFaiku.com
Dedicated to the art of writing science fiction haiku - willing to bend the rules slightly as scifi words tend to be long ('transmogrification'). Site contains the scifaiku manifesto and scifaiku of the day.

The Genuine Haiku Generator
Create a haiku with one click. Some of the efforts do not make much sense, and it's not quite in the spirit of haiku, but fun for a while.

want to win a prize?
encapsulate news events
in three simple lines

paint a word picture
in seventeen syllables
five-seven-five form

a haiku headline
snapshot of the world today
elucidation




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