Learning about haiga, and loving it!

Over the past year or so I've been branching out from haiku into writing tanka and haibun as well. I've really enjoyed experimenting with these forms, and have found I've grown as a writer through extending myself in this way. I've had a few tanka and haibun published now (see one of my haibun under 'Links to My Writing') and feel reasonably comfortable writing them. I've only scratched the surface of how I can use these forms to express and record my journey through this life. I'm sure I'll continue writing them, along with haiku, for many years to come.

In recent weeks, I've found myself drawn to haiga. It feels like a natural progression for me as someone who delights in playing with words and crafts, and likes to explore the relationship of how one can inspire the other. I actually made my first haiga before I really knew I had. But when I realised what I'd come up with, and how fun the creative process had been, I was eager to learn more about the connection between words and images that is the basis of haiga.

What I discovered was http://www.haigaonline.com/
Haigaonline is an online journal of haiga. From the traditional to the experimental, you can emerge yourself in this form through these pages. Each issue has a haiga workshop and I'm steadily making my way through them. If you Google "haiga" you will find lots of examples, but the articles on Haigaonline are a great place to start.

Go here for a definition of haiga: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiga