The Hoosic River Watershed Association invites everyone in the communities along the river to celebrate the waterway and write haiku inspired by the river and its surroundings.
HooRWA will hang all the haiku for a week on the suspension bridge in back of Tourists, 195 State Road, North Adams, on May 25. The event will include music, refreshments and readings.
In preparation, they will offer two workshops for the general public.
April 15 — 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at MOSAIC, 49 North St., North Adams, nextdoor to Gallery 51
April 17 — 6 to 7 p.m. at Milne Library, 1095 Main St., Williamstown
HooRWA says:
Write your haiku on paper about two-and-a-half inches by eight inches. Illustrations welcome. You can leave poems at the North Adams or Milne libraries or mail them or drop them off at the HooRWA office (Hoosic River Watershed Association, 906 Main St., PO Box 667, Williamstown, MA 01267)
Please submit your poems at one of these sites no later than May 15. This will leave us time to laminate the haiku so they will hold up to the weather. After the event, we will put a collection of the poems in both libraries.
The haiku is a traditional form of Japanese poetry. Many English speakers write three lines, the first line being five syllables, the second seven, and the third five. This form is fine for the HooRWA project, but don’t feel limited. Many contemporary writers use a less rigid form. Even these modern writers usually use three lines. Create a brief impression of a river or watershed scene that moves you emotionally.
This program is supported by HooRWA, Tourists, and by a grant from the Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
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