Patty Hardin

1. How did you get started with haiku?

I’m pretty sure I was introduced to haiku in junior high, the 5-7-5 format. In February of 2007, I was at a haiku workshop led by Michael Dylan Welch at Writers Weekend at the Beach in Ocean Park, Washington. The first haiku I shared for critique (post school days!) was 5-7-5 and Michael offered some helpful suggestions for revising the haiku. He also told me it would be most helpful to me if I joined the Haiku Society of America, which I did. One of the main reasons that keeps me writing haiku is the way so much can be said in so few words.

2. Tell us more about yourself.

I am a shark fanatic! My husband and I lived and worked in the Marshall Islands from 1985–1990 and from 1995–1998. While scuba diving there I had the supreme pleasure of having a shark brush up against my arm. It was a small shark, probably a little less than five feet long, but I was thrilled. I’ve published a romance novel, a children’s picture book, and a collection of stories from Vietnam veterans. I am most pleased with the Vietnam book because of the lessons it taught me about the human spirit.

3. What does NaHaiWriMo mean to you?

For me NaHaiWriMo is the chance to share my work in a positive, nurturing environment. It is a tremendous place to read and learn from the poems of others.

4. What one piece of advice would you offer to those who are new to writing haiku?

Be open to comments and suggestions from more experienced haiku poets.

5. Please share three of your favorite or best haiku.

saffron the color of her name

(The preceding haiku was written to the prompt of spices, given by Michael Dylan Welch, on February 4, 2013.)

little grasshopper

the last leaves

are falling

evening shadows the empty crib