There are infinite stories about New York City, here are 41 in haiku form. In this love letter to his favorite city, lifelong New Yorker Peter C. Goldmark, Jr. has crafted a collection of haiku that are simultaneously nostalgic and perceptive. Touching on everything from the city's beloved landmarks to the rising costs of living and the famous lie, "There is a train directly behind this one," the poems in this book capture the true essence of this special place. Given everything New York has endured recently, this book offers a timely celebration of a unique and wonderful city and its people--written to honor the ties and realities that bind them together. Alongside the sweet, and often funny, haiku poems, wistful illustrations help bring New York to life. From the preface by the author: "And then as 2019 and 2020 unfolded, both our country and our city came under stress. The adventure in self-government in America began to wobble seriously. And then the COVID pandemic hit. All this made me realize how much I valued my city--its beauty, its diversity and variety, its remarkable people, its grit and resilience…and how fragile and unique it was." A portion of the proceeds supports Citizens NYC, a non-profit that helps neighborhoods work together to meet challenges like COVID.

One hundred fifty haiku on New York City in just three lines each. New York City Haiku collects 150 of the best haiku inspired by the Big Apple. These succinct three-line poems express not only the personal experiences of every New Yorker (or New Yorker at heart), but also the universal truths about living and loving everything that New York has to offer as well. Written by poets of all ages and from across the country, this affordable and giftable collection creates an honest and often hilarious volume chronicling what New York is all about. A must-have for anyone who aspires to “make it there,” New York City Haiku is a thoughtful and fun testament to the city and its people.

Offers a selection of haiku poems by the acclaimed writer Richard Wright, with photograph illustrations and a short biography of Wright.

A compact collection of more than 500 poems from Jack Kerouac that reveal a lesser known but important side of his literary legacy “Above all, a haiku must be very simple and free of all poetic trickery and make a little picture and yet be as airy and graceful as a Vivaldi pastorella.”—Jack Kerouac Renowned for his groundbreaking Beat Generation novel On the Road, Jack Kerouac was also a master of the haiku, the three-line, seventeen-syllable Japanese poetic form. Following the tradition of Basho, Buson, Shiki, Issa, and other poets, Kerouac experimented with this centuries-old genre, taking it beyond strict syllable counts into what he believed was the form’s essence. He incorporated his “American” haiku in novels and in his correspondence, notebooks, journals, sketchbooks, and recordings. In Book of Haikus, Kerouac scholar Regina Weinreich has supplemented a core haiku manuscript from Kerouac’s archives with a generous selection of the rest of his haiku, from both published and unpublished sources.

This whimsical collection of poems in the haiku tradition celebrates the joy and wonder of nature. The twenty-eight playful poems take the young reader from early morning, through the day, and into the night's "gallery of diamonds". Sometimes serious, sometimes funny, but always surprising, these poems are sure to capture the imagination

A collection of haikus follows a Valentine's Day theme and combine an introduction to the poetic form with cartoon-style illustrations.

The fascinating and quirky biography of a disheveled poet, skillfully interwoven with his original works. Zen monk Santoka Taneda (1882-1940) is one of Japan's most beloved modern poets, famous for his "free-verse" haiku, the dominant style today. This book tells the fascinating story of his life, liberally sprinkled with more than 300 of his poems and extracts from his essays and journals--compiled by his best friend and biographer Sumita Oyama and elegantly translated by William Scott Wilson. Santoka was a literary prodigy, but a notoriously disorganized human being. By his own admission, he was incapable of doing anything other than wandering the countryside and writing verses. Although Santoka married and had a son, he devoted his life to poetry, studying Zen, drinking sake and wandering the length and breadth of the Japanese islands on foot, as a mendicant monk. The poet's life alternated between long periods of solitary retreat and restless travel, influenced by his tragic childhood. When not on the road, he lived in simple grass huts supported by friends and family. Santoka was a lively conversationalist who was often found so drunk he could only make it home with the help of a friendly neighbor or passerby. But above all, throughout his life, he wrote constantly; poetry and essays flowed from him effortlessly. Santoka's eccentric style of haiku is highly regarded in Japan today for being truly modern and free from formal constraints. His journals and essays are equally thought-provoking--the musings of an unkempt but supremely self-conscious mind on everything from writing to cooking rice and his failure to live a more orderly life. This translation and its introduction are by best-selling author William Scott Wilson, whose other works include The Book of Five Rings and The Lone Samurai. Wilson provides sensitive renditions of the haiku illustrating Santoka's life as well as an extensive introduction to the influences on Santoka's work, from contemporary haiku poets and his Buddhist teachers. Alongside the book, readers have access to a two-hour online audio recording of 331 of Santoka Taneda's haiku, read in Japanese by a native speaker, and in English.