the haibun gazette

“Haibun” is a literary and poetic genre with origins in 17th Century Japan and the writings of Master Haiku poet Basho. Haibun is a “linked form” that combines brief, narrative prose sections with haiku or senryu (which are structured like haiku and focus on human nature).

At The Haibun Gazette, a group of well-known haiku poets will be using the new format we call “haibun punditry” to react to items of interest in the news through the medium of prose and linked one-breath poems. Like a traditional weblog, we’ll also provide you with hyperlinks pointing to the articles and web posts that are the source of the story that inspired (or provoked) our haibun reportage.

Co-Editor David Giacalone first suggested the role of “haibun pundit” at his f/k/a weblog in May 2006. His first two attempts at haibun punditry can be found at f/k/a, in the postings “silly woman” and “bad for the gander.”

Over the next few weeks, David will be assembling a small group of Haibun Pundits. Once launched, The Haibun Gazette will publish posts almost everyday “reporting” on events and items in the news, and reflecting the individual interests and writing styles of the haibun team. Like any good newspaper or magazine, the haibun pundits will cover happenings in the fields of local and national news, politics, sports, entertainment, business, and more. We’ll be experimenting with the notion of haibun punditry, using the genre to bring new perspectives on the reporting of news and giving a weblog twist to a literary form that began as a travelog.