It is a lesson in the beauty of concision, led by a master.
Award-winning poet Sonia Sanchez, who is known for taking on traditional poetic formats to express politically-charged and progressive ideas, is coming to the Brooklyn Museum to lead a workshop on art of the haiku on Dec. 14.
“Haiku is Ms. Sanchez’s chosen medium for engaging with the idea of peace,” said Elisabeth Callihan, the Adults Program Manager at the Brooklyn Museum. “She believes that the haiku form is inherently non-violent in its intent and structure and engenders beauty, serenity, and brief reflection.”
During the session, Sanchez will give budding poets in the workshop time to write their own peace-themed haiku (quick refresher — the first line is five syllables, the second is seven, the third is five), and then receive input from the group. She will also talk about finding the space to write — something that can be difficult for a writer with a day job.
In honor of the event, we decided to tackle our own haikus — ripped from the headlines of this very paper. Shall we compare Marty Markowitz to a summer’s day?
The Crack
Who did crack that crack?
Was not Whole Foods, says Whole Foods
Only in Bensonhurst
Hidden under stale pizza:
World’s greatest story
A Tale
Two post offices, each
inspires a diff’rent mood:
One loved, one despised
Berkeley Place
What goes bump in the
night? This Slope block, where houses
shake, few children run
Landmark
Stands tall, its turret safe from
Forest City’s ilk
Do you have a Brooklyn haiku? Share it in the comments!
Haiku Workshop with Sonia Sanchez at Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium at the Brooklyn Museum [200 Eastern Parkway near Grand Army Plaza in Crown Heights, (718) 501–6331, www.brooklynmuseum.org]. Dec. 14 at 2 pm. $20.
