Haiku Society of America
.haiku column
The Haiku Society of America is pleased to host this ongoing column.
.Haiku: a place to share tools available to haiku writers and fellow haiku fans (like how to use Twitter, Facebook and Scribd for building community, self-publishing and marketing). The column will also feature interviews, blog spotlights and occasional multimedia presentations.
Gene Myers
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.haiku column 17
.haiku column number 17 • 3-10-2013
by Gene Myers <poetgene@gmail.com>
What haiku poets can learn from Daryl Hall
In an interview, rockstar Daryl Hall talked about the revolution that is responsible for his newfound popularity. I say newfound because he and his musical partner, John Oates, found themselves with a PR problem in the 90s. As a reaction to their 80s hits, self-conscious music critics refused to write about Hall and Oates. The critics told the band's manager they would "never write about those guys!"
What slow-moving critics—just like the record industry before them—failed to recognize was that, "The Times They [Were] A-Changing."
What does all of this have to do with haiku? Hold tight!
So, no matter what kind of art that Daryl Hall or John Oates would be creating, the old guard felt compelled to leave them out of the conversation in perpetuity. The point that they missed was that they themselves no longer understood where the conversation was or how it takes place.
Hall knew the conversation had moved to the web and so he started a webcast from his home. He made a website from which he single-handedly changed his reputation and sealed his legacy. The free monthly jams featuring his rockstar friends and younger bands even brought him a new, larger audience.
Hall successfully bypassed the gatekeepers.
When asked about the resurgence in his popularity Hall said he found his tribe. It's impossible to be all things to all people, he said. So the best thing an artist can do is "find your tribe." Thanks to the Internet, no matter who you are, you can find like-minded people and they can find you.
Haiku fans and writers are very good at this. There is the Haiku Society of America website. There is The Haiku Foundation (with all of its social media and video archive), Haiku North America, conferences and any number of other resources, including blogs, publishers' websites, Twitter feeds etc.
Did you realize how much support is out there for haiku poets? In the end of March, I am looking forward to attending my HSA regional meeting in Manhattan. The fact that all of these resources are offered still astounds me.
These resources—put together—are how we can find our tribe.
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Is there something you would like to see in a column? Email me at <poetgene@gmail.com>.
• .haiku column number 16 • 2-9-2013 •
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