How Pure Haiku Works
From 2021 onwards, I will be opening Pure Haiku to submissions every 8 months. The theme will be announced on the Submit Page as well as appearing in a blog post on the 1st of the submission month. The submissions window will be open for the entire month.
Once the deadline for submissions has passed, I will read all the haiku and select those I wish to publish on this site. There will usually be between 30-35 posts for individual haiku, and, from June 2022 onwards, there will be TWO 5 day slots for two Featured Haiku Writers. (The artist providing the image for the theme will choose one Featured Writer and I will choose the other). Once I’ve scheduled the selected haiku I will contact all the writers by email to let them know whether or not their haiku have been accepted.
The selected haiku for each theme will be published every other day over a period of 3 months. Please make sure you read at least the last two themes to get an idea of how Pure Haiku works and what kind of haiku is accepted here.
Why Traditional Haiku?
I originally set up this blog so I had somewhere to publish my traditional haiku. In 2010 I was having haiku rejected purely on the basis that they weren’t modern. Apparently, traditional haiku are too difficult to write! Really?
Well, 5000+ followers later, I think I’ve made my point!
This blog is now a way of sharing my own and other peoples’ traditional haiku. This is me giving something back to the writing community. I know how difficult it is when you start to write. So I have made Pure Haiku a haven for those who enjoy writing and reading traditional haiku in the English language.
All the haiku published on this site are structured classically with 5-7-5 syllables per line. Please take this into account if you wish to Submit your own haiku. I am aware that my haiku cannot be truly classical because I do not write in the old style of Japanese. Yet, this is how I was taught to write them many years ago and I find haiku such as these very pleasing to read.
General Information
To be informed when the next submission window opens, simply sign up to follow this blog and receive notifications. (Enter your email address in the box at the top right hand corner of the page!)
Please note – the plural of haiku is haiku
If you wish to leave comments for other haiku writers, please do so in PROSE. Please note that any comments left in haiku or any other poetic form won’t be approved from now on. If you wish your haiku to appear on this site, please follow the guidelines and submit haiku during submission periods.
Please be aware that I cannot provide critiques or feedback for your manuscript of poetry.
This is a Word Only blog. I only post images when the site is open to submissions and when I am introducing or summarising a theme. All haiku submissions must stand alone without the need for an image.
Any haiku submitted outside of the submission window will be deleted without being read.
Who am I?
I’m Freya Pickard, the author of The Kaerling series as well as other fantasy books and collections of poetry. My aim in life is to enchant, entertain and engage with readers through my writing. You can find out more about me and my books HERE.
I don’t earn any money from running Pure Haiku. I do it because I love interacting with other poets. Should you wish to support my full time writing career, please consider purchasing one of my books!
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Good for you. I love writing traditional Haiku. Thanks you!
Dwight
Lovely to meet someone else who also loves writing traditional haiku! Thank you for visiting, Dwight!
You are welcome! Great to connect with you as well!
This is a lovely idea
Thank you, Ruth! And thank you for submitting your work!
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I’ve been poetry trolled because I offer traditional Haiku and Senryu in my challenges too. I’m thrilled to find someone and thinks about poetry like I do. Merril D. Smith referred me to your blog. I’m glad you’re here. ❤
it is strange, isn’t it? I can only put it down to envy because traditional forms take so much more thought and skill than not so strict forms. thank you for following!
Yes! Failed Haiku sent me some disquieting emails after I reblogged his challenge post. I was thrilled to find you and will promote your challenge with my participants. ❤️
Thank you very much, Colleen! It’s much appreciated!
Always, my friend. ❤️
A haikuist after my own heart. I have learned to write the modern haiku, but I love the discipline of writing 5-7-5. I used to compose many on my drives into work based on my experiences of what I was seeing on the road. Ah, to be able to do this again. Jules Paige referred me to the site…thanks to her, I’ll be back again.
Nice to meet you! I must remember to thank JulesPaige for recommending this site! There won’t be many posts here until mid-February when I’ll be posting selected haiku about Ocean!
I generally pass Haiku by purely because I think the modern form is often lazy and an excuse for poor poetry. The original form takes dedication and is a wonderful art-form – so totally Japanese, rather as Ikibana is to flower arrangement. A seemingly effortless and minimal result that takes extraordinary skill and work to produce. I am not a writer of Haiku though one day I might find myself dedicating time to trying to produce something worthwhile – if I do it will be in the 5-7-5 classical structure. I came to you via Jane Dougherty whose work I tremendously admire and I am glad to have found you 🙂
very glad that you like the haiku on this blog Osyth! hope to see you again soon!
I’m very sure you will. And thank you for following my blog …. I strive not to disappoint 😊
I have enjoyed writing haiku in 5-7-5 since I taught a little workshop for my son’s 4th grade class (one million years ago…). I love your site. And, thank you for the plural information (of the word haiku) – I could not get an answer and it was bothering me not to know or use it correctly. A small detail, but, I think haiku is about details, noticing them, and enjoying them! Thank you.
oh yes! I agree – haiku is about noticing the detail! thank you for your comments! They are much appreciated! xxx
I love your blog! I renewed my love of 5-7-5 haiku this past year. The challenge and pleasure of following this form grows and grows. Thank you for hosting this lovely blog.
Hi Freya, Nice to see your haiku blog. 🙂
thank you for visiting Somali! xxx
I’m so happy you followed me on Twitter, and that I have discovered your page here. I am really, really glad to make the acquaintance of someone else who enjoys 5-7-5 haiku. I also enjoy non-conforming, but rarely write it because the “practice” of the classic style is a special and daily endeavor. Thank you for this, and I look forward to reading your writing and that of your guests.
~Cindy aka haikuclouds
thank you so much for following me cindy! really nice to “meet” you! like you, I prefer the “practice” of traditional haiku. hope you enjoy the sphere haiku here over the next few weeks. I will be opening Pure Haiku to submissions at the end of March…!