Three Simple Lines

December 15, 2020
Venerated writing teacher, writer, and artist Goldberg dispenses personal stories and literary and Zen Buddhist wisdom in books notable for their warmth, candor, and lucidity. Here she shares her immersion in haiku, a form Allen Ginsberg introduced her to when she was a student. Goldberg states, "Haiku is a refuge when the world seems chaotic," as it does now, and, indeed, the way she showcases haiku, both classic and new, while recounting her adventures in Japan as she followed the footsteps of the haiku masters--Basho, Buson, Issa, Shiki--proves to be stress-reducing, stimulating, and replenishing. The essence of haiku, Goldberg notes, is "pure awareness," while its three lines should "make the mind leap." Goldberg deepens appreciation for the evolution of the form by telling tales of the master's lives and reclaiming the key contributions of an overlooked woman practitioner, Chiyo-ni. Goldberg's participation in a haiku writing group at her Santa Fe library, her fish-out-of-water moments in Japan, and her sense of humor and humility converge in a uniquely intimate celebration of haiku and its distillation of life's beauty and transience.

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