Brian Tasker

Over the years a number of people, who know of my love for the Haiku Poem, ask where it started. It all began with the man pictured here, Brian Tasker.
About 20 years ago I was in Covent Garden in London, in a street called Neal Street East. There was a quirky shop there, a bit of a warehouse really, and it sold all sorts, and inside to the right was a bookshop that specialised in the arts. I went in many times afterwards, although it is no longer there.
Typically, on that first visit, I ended up in the poetry section and found two strange hand made books almost buried amongst the conventional titles. They were made of parchment, hand made paper, and sewn at the spine with wool and raffia. It was like finding a secret book in a strange bookshop at the beginning of so many stories. They were beautiful, and begging to be opened.
We were in the shop about 40 minutes and the entire time that my family scoured the shelves, I stood in one corner reading these books. They were by Brian Tasker and it was my first encounter with the Haiku.
I didn't get it at first, a deliberately arranged sentence on every page, but they were making me laugh or making me sad and I couldn't stop reading them. They were so simple yet seemed to say so much. I was astounded to find that these little books were for sale, because it felt like I had accidently found someones personal possession, left behind on the shelf. Their titles were Woodsmoke and Notes From A Humdrum - A Year in Haiku, and I have had them ever since.
Brian Tasker is involved with Makeshift Theatre, which has a page about his poetry. I have since come across him in compilations, many of which you can find at the Iron Press, or as editor for other collections. These particular ones were published by the Bare Bones Press, a journal founded by Tasker.
The delight I felt at finding those strange little books all those years ago led to a deep love for the Haiku form and many other collections for my shelves. However those first books by the poet above are my most treasured. Look out for his words on 'Haiku of the Week' on my sidebar, here at The Octogon.

Our Sweet Little Time: a year in haiku by Hamish Ironside

It has been a while since I recommended a Haiku poetry book and indeed since I got a new one. Inpress Books are an online bookstore for independent publishers and have a great collection of Haiku books. The prices are reasonable with free postage in the UK and now they also operate a loyalty scheme.

Every now and then they e-mail me promotions and it was from one of these that I picked up on this little treasure. It follows a year in Hamish's life, month by month, in Haiku poems and accompanied by illustrations by Barnaby Richards. The poems offer snapshots, thoughts and observations of monthly events, including the birth of his daughter.

This is a lovely book, I love contemporary Haiku and I found many of these already among my favourites. The book as a whole is a complete set of intricate parts that fit so well together.

The best Haiku are those that, for 3 lines, can provoke emotional reactions. Even when their subject is sad the best ones can issue a warmth from the strength of feeling in such a tiny compact form. There are many of these in this book.

I love Haiku and have done for a long time. Our Sweet Little Time is an excellent and welcome addition to my collection and I will dip into it often.

Recommended for Haiku fans, and also for those new to this form of poetry.

You can check out the British Haiku Society by following the link.

You can also read excellent Haiku poetry online at sites such as The Herons Nest.

Poetry Books reviewed at The Octogon

There seem to be a few Poetry titles that I have talked about in the past so I have given them their own section for reference. Click on the title for the review...

Short and Sweet: 101 Very Short Poems

The Dead Sea Poems by Simon Armitage

The Unswept Path: Contemporary American Haiku

Haiku Humour: Wit and Folly in Japanese Poems and Prints

The Haiku Year

The Iron Book of British Haiku

Our Sweet Little Time: a year in haiku by Hamish Ironside

The Iron Book of British Haiku

It has been a while since I have recommended a Haiku Anthology so I wanted to bring your attention to this brilliant collection which is published by the Iron Press. I have bought quite a few titles from them by mail order, although this one I got from a bookshop many years ago.

I have covered, in some of my other Haiku Anthology posts, both traditional Japanese humourous Haiku (Haiku Humour: Wit and Folly in Japanese Poems and Paintings) and contemporary American Haiku (The Haiku Year and The Unswept Path) so I thought I would give our wonderful British Haiku poets some air time.

My edition was published in 1998 and features British poets from then, and going back to the 1950's and 60's. The editors, David Cobb and Martin Lucas have been featured a number of times on my Haiku of the Week (see my sidebar), as have many of the other poets inside this book. Most of the prominent British Haiku poets are represented here, over 70, and it was the first major British haiku collection of its type

The format of the book is lovely, with the pages emulating the traditional parchment type of paper of the old Japanese form. The book has a simple aim, 'to present the best work of British haiku poets writing in English and Scots'.

An excellent addition to the library of any Haiku enthusiast, especially those who like the contemporary form. I have re-read this book many times, it has given me lots of pleasure over the years and I highly recommend it.

The Haiku Year

I wanted to share this little book with you. I found it a few years ago and loved it instantly. It has become one of my favourites.

The paragraph on the back of the book explains how these poems came together...

'In 1996, seven friends agreed to write one haiku a day and mail them to each other. At the end of the year, they realized that their collection of simple, critical observations had given them a new way to look at the details of their lives.'

Told in a seasonal cycle the haiku in this book are really inspiring, and I have many favourites among them. There is a quote from someone called Todd Colby on the back also...

'In this era of computer screens, it's nice to be reminded just how underrated reality is. Sometimes we miss the most sublime moments on our way to where we'd rather be. These haiku remind us to look, listen, and feel what's right at the end of our noses.'

The other thing that is interesting about this book is who the collection of friends are...

Tom Gilroy - actor, director and playwright from New York

Anna Grace - a writer and performer from New York

Jim McKay - film and videomaker

Douglas A Martin - writer and poet

Grant Lee Philips - songwriter and recording artist for the group Grant Lee Buffalo

Rick Roth - human rights activist, businessman

Michael Stipe - singer/songwriter with REM, photographer and film producer.

A wonderful find and an excellent collection of contemporary haiku.

Highly recommended!

Haiku Humor: Wit and Folly in Japanese Poems and Prints

For all of you who enjoy Haiku poetry, this is a book that is well worth a look.

Containing, not just poetry, but some witty Japanese drawings too, it is all about seeing the funny side of life in a snapshot. For all of our differences across the world, diversity that makes us all fascinating and enables us to learn from one another, I have found the ability to laugh together to be one of the strongest and most delightful common denominators. Sharing a good laugh or a giggle at the absurdities of life is one of the pleasures of being human and this book contributes hugely.

It is a combination of traditional and contemporary poems, so spans the centuries as well as the globe, showing humour to be entertainment, a show of intelligence, or a coping mechanism during difficult times.

There are loads of humourous Haiku out there, one of my favourites was the Spam-ku website, yes its all poetry about SPAM luncheon meat! Some of them are hilairious. What I like about this book is that it collects together the more traditional form of the poem, old and new, with a playful slant that we can all relate to. Keep an eye on my Haiku of the week, on my sidebar, for more funny (and not so funny) poems in this form.

The Unswept Path: Contemporary American Haiku

Ok, ok, I admit it. I am a HAIKU JUNKIE, I can say it, I'm not afraid. And this week my weakness won and I bought this lovely book of Contemporary American Haiku.

I have quite a few Haiku collections which I hope to feature here at times in the future, and from which I feature poems for Haiku of the week (in the column to your right). I love both traditional and contemporary versions of these three line poems. I am not going to present the Japanese history or dynamics here. You can learn more about Haiku origins and rules, if you wish, by clicking here.

Each chapter in this anthology is written by a different poet, with a short introduction followed by a small collection of their work. Each chapter is very firmly written in the voice of its author, creating some very diverse styles of thought and subject matter, some traditional, gentle, nature-based and seasonal, some more modern, punchy and unusual, even.

The introductions to each poet are also individual and a joy to read. We have a couple who lived in a run down house in Japan for many years and wrote poetry about their stay. We have a man who had a brief but passionate affair with a mysterious Japanese woman with whom he translated some haiku into English and then wrote his own about her. We have an old couple who have lived in Japan for many years, writing and walking their way through the landscape they love, only now in their eighties, find themselves in sheltered accomodation and too ill to go far from home. There are many more.

The introductions also include many descriptions of what Haiku means to them, why this very distinct form of writing is important to them. My particular favourite came from Patricia Donegan...

"Haiku can be the antedote to the speed of post-modern culture, allowing one to step off the spinning wheel, to stop and breathe deeply and slowly. To note the birth and death of each moment."

There will be many haiku from this book that will make it onto Haiku of the week so look out for those. There are also links on the right hand column for good Haiku sites that I know of...