Writing

I enjoy and practice writing outside of the research realm (see examples below), including regularly musings over on the reverie.

I write Haiku a lot. I have kept a journal for most of my life but have struggled with consistency sometimes, and part of this was because I was trying to write too much, or be too detailed. I read a book by James Clear a couple of years ago and one part resonated strongly with me, which essentially said (excuse the paraphrasing please!) creating habits is sometimes about doing less. For example, instead of trying to write three paragraphs, just write three lines. This took me to Haiku – as a way to capture a moment, an emotion, a space and place. I now carry around a small journal and it offers space for writing a few lines what capture a moment or to: I call it a form of Haiku.

What is Haiku?

Haiku is way to express, with the written word, a concise juxtaposition of images and ideas, emerging from the world within and around us, creating surprise, awe and wonder.

Haiku is traditionally known as short poems of 17 syllables, with three lines that contain 5, 7, and 5 syllables. Many people have learned that it is originally from Japan and probably heard about its 5-7-5 form in grade school. Haiku do not rhyme, but do often include some reference to seasonality or nature. There are, however, many different variations of Haiku, and my own conception is not one that is defined by a standard format. I prefer, overall, the concept of ‘free-verse’ Haiku.

I see Haiku as being short poems, often referencing nature or seasonality and which include perhaps two or three more related or connected ideas or images created with few words. Haiku are best read with a pause or breath in between each phrase or image, and ideally the end result is a sense of surprise, or juxtaposition. Haiku describe a lot from little and create meaning from a deceptively simple format. They may have the 5-7-5 structure and three lines, but they need not be constrained by that structure.

Haiku immediately take the reader (or writer!) somewhere: maybe to a season, a place, a space, a time, or perhaps evoke a sound or smell. The beauty comes from the simplicity and from the tensions and connections between the phrases. A while ago my friend Eleanor suggested I look up Haiku by Issa (check out this website, for example), and the Haiku written by Jack Kerouac. When viewing these examples, it is clear that you can embrace the spirit of Haiku, in a way that is not constrained by a specific structure. Haiku can be what you want it to be.

Maybe these thoughts will resonate with you, and you will pick up a pen and jot down Haiku as you move through your world. Because Haiku are tiny, they can fit on a napkin, a scrap of paper, or receipt. They are fun that way.

Other Writings

Here is a sample of some of my other (less academic) writing:

And there is a lot of content over on my old blog (now inactive), Arthropod Ecology, including lots on teaching, outreach, University administration, and spiders, including how spiders bites are exceedingly rare, and YES you are always within three feet of a spider! (oh, and that latter post showed up on “what if” on the xkcd blog!!)