Japanese Short Forms with Maeve O’Sullivan
Info
Date: January 12, 2026
Time: 6.30 pm - 8.30 pm
Duration: 4 weeks
Level: Advanced | Intermediate | Beginner |
Cost: €160 (€144 Members)
Location: Online
This course will take place online on Mondays for 4 weeks (4 sessions total) – excluding the week of the St Brigid’s Bank Holiday on Monday 2nd February. The course will finish on Monday, 9th February.
Course Summary
This course will explore the haiku – the shortest and one of the oldest poetic forms in the world – and related Japanese forms. It will introduce participants to four sets of such forms: the three-line nature-based haiku & the human-nature based senryu; the five-line tanka & tan-renga; the one-line monoku & the six-line cherita; and the haiga, a form which combines a haiku with an image.
Participants will learn about the history and aesthetic of these forms, with examples, guidelines for writing their own and substantial resources including links to journals, essays, videos etc.
Course Outline
Week 1: Haiku & senryu, the 3-line forms which relate to nature and human nature.
Week 2: Tanka, the 5-line form related to haiku, and the tan-renga.
Week 3: Monoku, i.e. one-line haiku and the cherita (6 lines in 3 stanzas).
Week 4: Haiga, the form which combines a single haiku with a single image.
Participants will be expected to produce work during or after the classes in weeks 1 and 3, with (optional) sharing and feedback in the following week’s classes, i.e. 2 and 4.
Course Outcomes
Participants will have a deeper understanding of the three-line haiku / senryu, and of four of its related forms, including writing techniques. They will also develop an ability to read and write these Japanese forms with some confidence and proficiency. Suggestions for submissions to relevant haikai journals will also be made.
Maeve O’Sullivan’s poetry and haikai have been widely published, anthologized, awarded and translated. She is the author of six collections of long- and short-form poetry from Alba Publishing. The latest one, Where All Ladders Start (2024), received an Agility Award from the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon. Maeve is a member of the British Haiku Society and has led haiku workshops in various contexts including libraries, festivals and schools. www.maeveosullivan.com
Booked out? To be added to the waiting list for this course, please email info@irishwriterscentre.ie.
