Sammamish Arts: Haiku in the Woods with Poet Michael Dylan Welch

How do you celebrate National Poetry Month in April? One year I wrote a Haiku a day for the month and shared them with friends on Facebook. Out in the physical world, the Sammamish Arts Commission has designed an event with Sammamish Walks that brings National Poetry Month home in a uniquely Northwest Way.

On April 14, Sammamish resident Michael Dylan Welch, who is vice president of the Haiku Society of America and a key organizer of local readings and literature groups such as  Redmond Association of Spokenword, will offer a free presentation at followed by a guided nature walk to teach haiku poetry.

The program will feature a PowerPoint presentation, handouts, writing exercises, and more. Attendees will learn about kigo (season words), kireji (dividing the poem into two juxtaposed parts) and shasei (images from the five senses). Adults and families are welcome, including teachers interested in teaching haiku in their classrooms.

Here's what you can expect at the event:

Agenda

10:30   Welcome and presentation

12:00   Lunch break

12:30   Guided haiku walk

1:30     Reconvene to share/discuss poems

2:30     Conclusion

Attendees should bring a sack lunch, a notebook and pen/pencil, and clothing for any weather (rain or shine).

For details and to register, please visit to: http://www.sammamishwalks.org/. Don't delay, the class size is limited.

For more information on Michael Dylan Welch please go to: http://www.brooksbookshaiku.com/welch/about.html.

This event is co-sponsored by the Sammamish Arts Commission and Sammamish Walks.

Sammamish Walks

Sammamish Walks organizes informative walking events on the Sammamish Plateau. Their website provides information about the trails on and around the Sammamish plateau including maps, descriptions, directions and photos.  Trails on and around the Sammamish plateau take you through dense woodlands, past pristine wetlands and along the shorelines of several beautiful lakes.

The Sammamish Arts Commission

The Sammamish Arts Commission offers a year-round series of exhibitions in the City Hall Commons Gallery with a primary focus on regional artists.