Haiku. We all know what it is, right? A Japanese poem with three lines, five syllables, seven syllables, five. But to serious students of the form, that definition is, at best, incomplete. Some would even consider it completely inaccurate, saying the 5-7-5 form is a Japanese language tradition which doesn’t really translate into English.

So what does make a good haiku? If you’re curious about that, or if you just want to hear some good haiku, head over to the Queen Mary this week. Dozens of haiku poets, from all over the U.S., Canada and beyond, will be gathering for the biennial Haiku North America Conference, which runs from Wed. Aug. 14, through Sun. Aug. 18.

In addition to haiku readings, there will workshops, panel discussions, lectures and various multimedia presentations of haiku, including music, dance and film. There will be several presentations open to the public. If you want a deeper immersion, but not necessarily for the whole week,  day passes can be purchased for $55 per day.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Intervals,” a key component of haiku. The conference’s program describes intervals as “the spaces in-between, where humanity slows, observes, absorbs.” Haiku often deals with specific moments of time, and the intervals between them:

 at the full moon’s
          rising, the silver-plumed
          reeds tremble
                Masoaka Shiki (tr. unknown)

The spring sea rising
          and falling, rising
          and falling all day
                Yosa Buson (tr. Robert Hass)

“Haiku poetry is a poetry that recognizes the seasons, therefore capturing little intervals of time such as the time the white pelicans arrive in Bolsa Chica, or the time the streets are blocked off for the Long Beach Grand Prix, or the day each year that rose covered floats travel down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena,” says local co-chair Deborah P. Kolodji. “Haiku can capture the intervals of our lives, as well.”

The concept of intervals will be tackled in many of the conferences events, sometimes in surprising ways, such as the panel subtitled, “An Exploration of Horror in Haiku Based on Intervals of Fear” (lead by Joshua Gage, Friday, 10AM).

For those not interested in attending the entire conference, there will also be presentations open to the general public on Thursday and Friday. The Thursday program, which is free, will feature the documentary From a Silk Cocoon, directed by Satsuki Ina (left). The film concerns her parents’ internment during WWII, and the haiku her father, Itaro Ina, wrote during that time. Satsuki Ina will also discuss her father’s haiku and legacy. The evening’s program also includes a reading and discussion by Mitsuye Yamada of her father’s senryu (a form similar to haiku, but focused more on human behavior), also written during internment.

The highlight of the Friday evening program will be a reading from the new Norton Anthology of Haiku, moderated by Jim Kaclan. Prior to the reading, there will be a premiere performance of an original classical piece, composed by Aaron Ishibashi to accompany haiku written by Intaru Ina, Yajin Nakao and Senbinshi Takaoka during their internments. The evening will also include a Pecha Kucha (Japanese for “chit-chat”) program of several poets giving brief presentations of their work and inspirations. The program is open to the public; there is a $15 admission.

Haiku North America occurs every two years at a different city in North America. Haiku North America is a nonprofit corporation run by three directors: Garry Gay, Michael Dylan Welch, and Paul Miller. These directors appoint the hosts of each HNA conference. A dedicated team of volunteer haiku poets in the host location forms the “organizing committee” for each successive HNA conference. The local co-chairs for the Long Beach Haiku North America are Deborah P. Kolodji and Naia.

When asked how Haiku North America’s Convention ended up on the Queen Mary, Naia replied, “Debbie and I attended the 2009 HNA conference in Ottawa, Canada. The hosting haiku poets created a dynamic program that left us enamored of the location and its people.  When Michael Dylan Welch approached us about hosting an HNA conference, Debbie and I were excited about sharing the environment and cultural aspects of Southern California. This will be the first opportunity for many of our local haiku poets to interact face-to-face with North American and international haiku poets they’ve only heard of or known through social media. . . . Though we investigated several promising locations, there was a certain charm about and uniqueness in the Queen Mary venue that we felt HNA conference attendees would be enthusiastic about experiencing.”

As for the question of what constitutes a proper haiku, that is a heavy topic for debate among haiku poets themselves. One of the conference events (Friday, Aug. 16, 2PM) will be an “Essence of Haiku” panel which will consist of four poets who approach haiku in different ways, from the very traditional to slam haiku (in which the 5-7-5 structure is essential, and which some might not consider haiku at all). So the conference may not supply a definitive answer, but it will certainly provide a lively debate.

Or, you can ignore the debate entirely, and just enjoy the poetry.

The 2013 Haiku North American Conference takes place August 14-18 on the Queen Mary. For more information, visit haikunorthamerica.com

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