Poetry Friday – Haiku Diem
Happy Post-Thanksgiving Poetry Friday!
Today I want to share about a book that is special in a way that is very new to me, instead of a credit on the cover as an author, it is my first credit as an illustrator.
The book is Haiku Diem, The Best of Year One and the illustrators are Kathryn Briggs, Ardith Goodwin, Kerry Dennehy and me!
Since 2012 Freeman Ng has been writing a haiku poem every day and posted it online. It began as a social experiment to see if he could keep up the pace of posting something to an unknown audience on a regular basis and it has evolved into a daily practice that has changed his life. When he decided to collect some of his best haiku into book form, he went looking to his artist friends to help illustrate his poems. We each got to pick our poems from a master collection and then create the artwork to go with it.
You can see sample pages art from each of the illustrators on Freeman’s website. As you can tell, we all approached it very differently. Freeman published the book through CreateSpace and also wrote a detailed post about the experience of working with CreateSpace for others who might be contemplating giving it a try.
Here’s one haiku from the book.
stars fade, sun rises
every day a fallen leaf
I write one haiku
Learn more about the project or order your own copy here.
More poetry fun – You have a chance to win a free poetry e-thology from Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong! Go to PoetryTagTime.com and click on the orange box at the top. Leave a 12-word comment on any of three e-thology blogs to enter. Such a deal and so easy!
Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading has the whole great big Poetry Friday roundup today.
And in non-poetry news – many of the shops over on Etsy are offering special holiday sales. over in my shop, Poppiness, you can get a 10% discount on everything in the entire shop today through midnight Monday night. You can pick up sets of photo notecards for gifts or maybe one of this hummingbird calendars for the coming year. Just be sure to use the coupon code BFHOLIDAY10 at checkout.
Original art by Susan Taylor Brown
Hi, Susan. I love the idea of a haiku practice, or really any creative or meditative practice that can shift your life. Thanks for recommending the book.
Thanks for stopping by, Laura. I admire those who who can maintain any kind of regular practice. I keep trying. Maybe that’s my practice, that I keep trying?
Congratulations Susan! What a beautiful project, and a nice little item to add to your portfolio of hummingbirds and other photo projects.
I appreciate the kind words, Violet. It is nice to add this project to my portfolio. Just looking at it all again my fingers are itchy to go back and play with art. So many ideas, so little time.
Congratulations, Susan! This is really exciting news–hooray!
Thanks, Laura. It’s always such to fun to have something new to add to my list of accomplishments. I had no idea my list would become so varied.
Wow, Susan – Congratulations! Looks like a lovely project. Congrats to each of you!
Thank you, Robyn. I admire Freeman’s ability to keep up with a haiku a day for so long.
It’s so fun to watch your creative career blossom!
Thank you, Mary Lee. It has been fun to stretch myself in new areas.
Looks beautiful! Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks for stopping by, Ruth.
What a neat project! Congrats, Susan!
Thanks for stopping by, Tabatha.
Congratulations!
Thanks, Jenn.
The Haiku Diem book looks like a book to carry one gently through the year, Susan. How beautiful! And congratulations on your first illustrations! I still have company, but will try to get to Etsy before Monday! Amidst my move, I must get to Christmas shopping, too!
Thanks for the kind words of support, Linda. Remember to be kind to yourself during the move. It can be so stressful.
Congrats on having your art featured in Freeman’s book! Sounds like a lovely collection
!
Thank you, Jama. It’s a real thrill.