Haiku in the Heights

We’re celebrating Spring in Arlington Heights with Neighborhood Haiku – a public art project bringing original poetry to storefront windows! Building on the success of our 2018 Bikeway Haiku we’re inviting the whole community to take up pen and write a 3-line poem inspired by the distinctive character and neighborhood life of the Heights. Thirty haiku will be selected to be hand painted in storefront windows as a way to show our local small businesses some love.  All haiku will be published on ArtsArlington.org and all authors will be invited to read at a June celebration.  So take the haiku challenge! Community and conversation, shops and restaurants, history and nature – there’s a lot to inspire you. We’ve all been through a difficult year; lift your spirit and reconnect with neighbors by writing a brief tribute to the complex and vibrant world around us.

Haiku offers a fun and challenging form to capture a closely observed moment, often with a surprise twist at the end.  You can write on your own, collaborate with friends or family, or take a workshop. Workshop schedule and registration, our Open Call, Rules, Inspiring Examples, and Links to Resources are all below. .

You can pack a surprising amount into these short, short poems – 17 syllables max – but you have to pick each word strategically.  One of the best ways to polish up your haiku skills and fire up your imagination is a workshop with poet and teacher Jessie Brown. We’ve asked her to teach three zoom workshops in her signature style: fun, engaging, and participatory.  A final workshop is scheduled for Monday, May 24 to polish up your best drafts.

“Haiku are like truffles — rich, intense, surprising,” says local poet Jessie Brown. Sharpen your skills and practice writing with friends in one of her free Zoom workshops. Interactive, participatory, and FUN, each workshop explores a different theme, though you can write about whatever inspires you.  Workshops are open to all, including children age 9 and up (with an older friend or relative). Each workshop is limited to 25, but Arlington residents will be given priority. Choose among the 3 workshops here, and click to register!

Saturday, April 24, 4 to 5:30 pm

Join poet Jessie Brown for a fun and interactive workshop focused on writing haiku poems to celebrate the green spaces of Arlington Heights. Participants are encouraged, but not required, to take a field trip outdoors before the workshop, to observe and explore! Do the scents of spring take you back to your childhood? How do your feet sound on the boardwalks of Arlington’s Great Meadows? Can you spot a silent owl in the woods, or your own backyard?

Some spots to explore: Crusher Lot, Mill Pond Park, McClennen Park, Reservoir, Mt. Gilboa, Arlington’s Great Meadows (in Lexington but owned by Arlington), Sutherland Woods, Robbins Farm Park.

This project is open to people of all ages and cultural backgrounds with any level of writing experience. You don’t have to live in Arlington, just draw inspiration from the Arlington Heights neighborhood and write a place-based poem. If you are unable to explore the Heights due to health or mobility issues, we understand!  Simply write in response to the themes described above in our workshop section.  Please review the rules, inspiring examples and resource links lower down on this page as well as the FAQ section. If you still have questions or want help, please email us at: neighborhoodhaiku@gmail.com.

The more the merrier! We are starting with the goal of 30 poems in 30 windows, but if more businesses sign up we can make a bigger and more vibrant impact. This public art project is good for business, residents and visitors! E-mail Cecily Miller at cecily.apa@gmail.com to find out more.

HAIKU IN THE HEIGHTS is supported by grants from the Arlington Cultural Council, a local agency, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.