Poetry Pea - haiku and other English Language Japanese short forms

This week on the Poetry Peacast, we welcome Scottish poet Claire Thom, joining us from Andalusia, Spain. Claire, founder of Wee Sparrow Press, shares haiku and haibun from her beautiful collection Wildflowers in Oyster Stone. It's always enjoyable to hear a poet read their work, don't you think?

Discover how travel, nature, and poetic craft intertwine as we talk about the art of haiku editing and the inspiration behind her work.

If you love contemporary haiku, haibun, and international poetry, this episode will enchant you.

✨ Don’t forget to sign up for the Poetry Pea mailing list for news on our upcoming anthology, amongst other things — a little gem in itself!

show notes.

In this episode, we visit with Canadian poet Allison Douglas Tourner, who reads from her haunting and beautiful collection sticks & bones. Together, we wander through memory, myth, and the stories that shape us — from childhood books to the darker corners of imagination.

There’s also a bit of breaking news for poetry lovers: publication of the Poetry Pea Anthology is imminent, so be sure you’re on the mailing list — it’s the perfect poetry gift for Christmas.

Join us for poetry, reflection, and a touch of wonder.

Show notes

As the rain lashes Zürich and the winter tyres go on, it’s time to escape to somewhere warmer! In this episode of the Poetry Peacast, we’re off to the beaches of Langkawi, Malaysia — swapping snowflakes for seashells and cold toes for sand between them.

Patricia shares previously published haiku and senryu from the beach, plus new poems inspired by our latest video prompt. Expect crows, carols, and a touch of tropical sunshine — all wrapped up in the warmth of our global poetry community.

With thanks to Neena Singh for her expert curating, and to all the poets who took part in this month’s prompt.

If you’d like to join in, leave your haiku or senryu in the comments under the video on our YouTube channel (not by email, please!) and maybe you’ll be featured next time.

🌴 Keep writing, keep watching the waves, and see you next week for more poetic adventures.

Episode notes

It’s Poetry Pea’s birthday! To celebrate, we’re throwing a Senryū Pop Quiz — and you’re invited.

In this episode, we put our poetic instincts to the test: can you tell your haiku from your senryū? Or have some poems wandered off into the wild world of micropoetry?

Join us for a fun, thought-provoking episode full of literary nerdery, and maybe a little friendly controversy. We’ll also celebrate Joshua St. Claire’s award-winning haiku and revisit what makes haiku haiku, and senryū, senryū, from seasonal references to intuition and exposés.

Tune in, play along, and then head to the show notes to compare your answers with ours. Let’s see how many you get right—no cheating!

In this episode of Poetry Pea: The Senryū Sessions (Part Two), Patricia dives deeper into the poetic dance between haiku and senryū — where do they meet, and where do they part ways? With insights from scholars like Shirane, Wirth, Pizzarelli, and Virgil, we explore what makes a haiku an observation and a senryū a commentary. Through poems by Linda Ludwig, Vera Constantineau, Sam Blair, Shiki, Matt Snyder and others, we untangle how tone, imagery, and human perspective shape these distinct short forms.

Join us as we question, laugh, and maybe disagree — all in the spirit of good poetry.

🎧 Featuring:

• Thoughtful comparisons between haiku and senryū
• Readings and analysis of poems from Poetry Pea Journal and Prune Juice
• A few surprises (and laughs) along the way

🕊️ Keep up with the series and make sure you've subscribed to the Podcast, wherever you are listening.

Maybe leave us a review, it would be most appreciated.

This episode of the Poetry PeaPodcast is Part One of a series on senryū. A form of Japanese short poetry

We begin by asserting that senryū do not have to be humorous. They offer sharp, human insights that continue to spark debate among poets and editors. In this episode you’ll hear examples from both the Japanese canon and contemporary English-language poets, with commentary and context to guide you.

Over the coming episodes in this series, we’ll learn the differences between haiku & senryū, discover the living practice of senryū, and consider their place alongside haiku in today’s poetry world.

Perfect for anyone curious about senryū, haiku, and Japanese short-form poetry in English.

In this special episode of the Poetry Pea Podcast, Patricia celebrates International Dot Day with the Poetry Pea community. Join us for a playful look at haiku and flashku, inspired by dots, creativity and courage.

Patricia shares news about the brand-new Poetry Pea Journal 4:25 — full of original haiku, creepy-crawly poems, video prompt selections, and the latest judges’ choice. You’ll also hear how poets responded to a social media challenge and a flashku call-out.

Whether you’re a seasoned haiku poet or just curious about short-form poetry, this episode is packed with inspiration and poems to spark your creativity.

Show notes

Original poems by global poets.

Welcome to the Poetry Pea Podcast – your home for haiku, senryū and short-form poetry. 🐞🦋🐝

In this episode, inspired by Liam Maguire’s “creepy crawly” presentation, our judges Clive Grewcock, Melissa Dennison and Liam himself share their nominations for the Judges’ Choice. Expect beetles, butterflies, ants, dragonflies, spiders and more – all captured in the tiny but powerful form of haiku and senryū.

✨ What you’ll hear:

• Original haiku, senryū and one-line poems from poets around the world
• Commentary from our judges
• A lively selection of poems which will be some of the poems featured in Poetry Pea Journal 4:25

Sign up for our mailing list for early access, special offers, and submission opportunities

💌 Submissions are open for tanka 1-15th Oct 2025– check the diary & guidelines on our website before sending!

☕ Like what we do? Support the Poetry Pea Podcast:

• Become a member
• Buy us a coffee
• Share this podcast with your poetry-loving friends

Show notes

✨ Welcome to the Poetry Pea Podcast ✨

In this episode, we share beautiful haiku and senryū from our community, inspired by the video prompts. You’ll hear poetry chosen by editor Amy Watson from the August prompt, and we’ll look ahead to September’s beach-themed prompt curated by Neena Singh.

Alongside the poetry, I raise an important question about fairness in haiku competitions — something for us all to consider as members of the short form poetry community. And, to end, we return to more poems from you, our listeners, to bring us back to calm reflection.

📌 What’s inside this episode:

• Haiku and senryū from the Poetry Pea community
• Highlights from the August video prompt (Tango-inspired)
• A discussion on fairness in haiku competitions
• More community poems to close the show

💌 Don’t miss out! Join the Poetry Pea mailing list to hear about new journals, prompts, and podcast episodes first: [link]

If you enjoy writing haiku, & senryū, or simply love listening to short form poetry, this episode is for you.

In this episode we round off our tanka series with something a little different – kyōka.

Kyōka are often described as the “wild poems” of the tanka world – witty, playful, and full of wry social commentary. Think of them as to tanka what senryū are to haiku.

👉 What you’ll hear in this episode:

• A short introduction to kyōka and their place in Japanese poetry
• Examples from the Japanese, translated into English
• Contemporary kyōka written originally in English
• A light-hearted discussion about humour in poetry

📚 Don’t forget – our latest haibun journal Tendrils is out now. Link in the show notes if you’d like to grab a copy (print or PDF).

💌 Want to support Poetry Pea?

Become a member, buy us a coffee, or simply share this episode on your social media. Every little helps to keep the podcast going and spread the word.

🖊️ Submissions:

Check our submissions diary for current calls. We’d love to read your work in future episodes.

Thank you for listening – and most importantly, keep writing.