The Haiku Year exists because seven friends made a pact to write
haikus every day for a year as a way to keep in touch with each other.
The finished product is a document of a year's worth of moments filled
with joy, sorrow and unexpected beauty. The book y creates the sense
that present moments do not just disappear and provides a visceral
understanding of how these moments fit into the context of the rest of
our lives.
The short verses in Haiku Year stab and elate. They hint at both the
transcendence and mediocrity of everyday life. The power of Michael
Stipe's southern, twilight drenched lyrics from early REM albums is
present in the volume. Douglas A. Martin's sparse yet descriptive prose
gleams throughout. The thoughtful storytelling of Grant Lee Phillips is
pared down to the simplest words to describe an instance.
The Haiku Year is about the appreciation of small moments of beauty,
ultimately adding up to the appreciation and respect not only for our
individual lives but for all the lives that intersect with ours. The
Haiku Year effortlessly urges readers to enjoy details and to let spare
moments pierce through the numbness of everyday routine.
