Randall Herman

1. How did you get started with haiku?

I started writing because I have an interest in Japanese culture and aesthetics. Also, I was required to produce an artwork for a seminary class, and I wrote a haiku sequence. That was my beginning with Japanese forms.

2. Tell us more about yourself.

I have lived in South Texas, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, and Nebraska. Noting the similarities and differences in the natural world has been key to my writing. I’ve always been comfortable playing with words. I guess that goes back to childhood and dad often reading poetry aloud. My first haiku books were anthologies from Makoto Ueda, and I’ve included (below) the verse I wrote upon his death.

3. What does NaHaiWriMo mean to you?

To me NaHaiWriMo is a place to share poems and learn from other poets.

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

My advice to a new writer is to read lots of other poets, and read articles by poets on writing.

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

moments of silence

spill from long-awaited

cherry blossoms

glowing coals . . .

a translator grieves

the stray moonlight

peeking out from

the kimono . . .

her white neck