Wales Haiku Journal

 

The Wales Haiku Journal is an online journal of contemporary haiku poetry. The journal publishes a wide range of haiku poetry and special features related to the haiku form.  Featuring selections of work by internationally acclaimed and emerging haiku poets alike, it is the first English-language haiku journal to be released in partnership with a national arts publication. The Wales Haiku Journal was created by the award-winning haiku poet, Paul Chambers, and since November 2021 is edited by Joe Woodhouse, poet, songwriter and author of haiku collection, Cycles; joined in December 2023 by co-editor C.X. Turner, poet, artist and author of haiku, senryu and tanka collection, evergreen. 

 

Wales Arts Review

 

Wales Arts Review is a home for high quality critical writing and arts coverage – a place where passionate and informed arts critics, from Wales and beyond, can find expression. Founded in March 2012, Wales Arts Review is a new media platform where a new generation of critics and arts lovers can meet to engage in a robust and inclusive discussion about books, theatre, film, music, the visual arts, politics, and the media.

 

What is Haiku?

Haiku is a short form of poetry, originating in Japan, which typically employs common language and simple, uncomplicated images, to convey emotion. A haiku poem is the sharing of a moment of sensory illumination, which carries a subtle, yet often profound, emotional resonance. The form allows the reader to ‘feel themselves into’ a shared experience, without the obstruction of lyrical ornamentation on the part of the poet. A good haiku implies emotion through objective presentation, and appeals to a reader’s intuition, rather than their intellect. The ‘suchness’ of the present moment, and a sense of the extraordinary in the ordinary things around us, are key elements of the haiku spirit.