The Berkeley Public Library will host a haiku course in June as part of the Bay Area Book Festival.
How to Write a Haiku is a workshop where people can learn about the history behind haikus and read famous examples of the Japanese poetic form. Those who participate in the event can craft their own haikus, and students may share their poems with the group if they wish. The lesson is designed for writers of all levels. Students are recommended to bring their own papers and writing utensils to the event. The course will also teach attendees about making tankas.
The workshop instructor is David Roderick, the co-founder and director of Left Margin LIT. Roderick is an experienced poet who has published two collections that won prizes like the Julie Suk Award and the APR/Honickman Prize. His writing was also awarded a Wallace Stegner Fellowship at Stanford University. He has taught classes at many colleges, including San Francisco State University and the University of North Carolina. Roderick also works as the Director of Content at The Adroit Journal.
The haiku workshop will be held on Saturday, June 1 from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm. There is no cost to partake in Roderick’s course, though students must register in advance. The class will occur in the Community Meeting Room on the library’s third floor. Those who organize community writing activities like this may use poster printing to promote their workshops.
