''SciFaiku'' ("science fiction ''haiku''") is a form of

science fiction poetry Speculative poetry is a genre of poetry that focusses on fantastic, science fictional and mythological themes. It is also known as science fiction poetry or fantastic poetry. It is distinguished from other poetic genres by being categorized by it ...

first announced by Tom Brinck with his treatise on the subject, ''The SciFaiku Manifesto'' (July 1995). Brinck has been referred to as the "Father of SciFaiku." SciFaiku is inspired by

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

haiku is a type of short form poetry originally from Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases that contain a ''kireji'', or "cutting word", 17 '' on'' (phonetic units similar to syllables) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern, and a ''kigo'', or se ...

, but explores

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

(SF), and other

speculative fiction Speculative fiction is a term that has been used with a variety of (sometimes contradictory) meanings. The broadest interpretation is as a category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, na ...

themes, such as

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

and horror. They are based on the principles and form of haiku but can deviate from its structure. Scifaiku follow three major principles –

minimalism In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...

, immediacy and human insight: * Scifaiku follows the haiku model, including its spirit of minimalism. While traditional Japanese haiku usually has 3 phrases of 5, 7, and 5 on ("sound symbols"), haiku in English usually has seventeen (or fewer)

syllable A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds typically made up of a syllable nucleus (most often a vowel) with optional initial and final margins (typically, consonants). Syllables are often considered the phonological "bu ...

s. Scifaiku is even more flexible and may be shorter or longer (allowing for longer technical terms, e.g. anisomorphism), although most often still written, as English language haiku, in three lines. * Immediacy is the use of direct sensory perceptions to give a sense of being in the moment.

Concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

, rather than abstract terms are used.

Metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...

and

allegory As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

are rarely explicit though sometimes implied. * Human insight comes from the idea that the purpose of much science fiction is to understand ourselves better through exploring possible futures or speculative realities.

Science fiction haiku

Before there was scifaiku on the Internet, there was science fiction haiku. Probably the earliest publication of science fiction haiku was Karen Anderson's "Six Haiku" (''

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher a ...

'', July 1962). Below is number four of her six SF haiku. ::Those crisp cucumbers :: Not yet planted in Syrtis -- :: How I desire one!

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his ''Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchett's first nov ...

included the following SF haiku as a chapter epigram in his early non-

Discworld ''Discworld'' is a comic fantasy"Humorous Fantasy" in David Pringle, ed., ''The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' (pp.31-33). London, Carlton,2006. book series written by the English author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat pla ...

novel, ''

The Dark Side of the Sun ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1976). ::Hark to the crash of ::the leaves in the autumn, the smash ::of the crystal leaves. ::::Charles Sub-Lunar, 'Planetary Haiku' It wasn't until 1979 that science fiction haiku were regularly published, with Robert Frazier's "Haiku for the L5" (''

Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine ''Asimov's Science Fiction'' is an American science fiction magazine which publishes science fiction and fantasy named after science fiction author Isaac Asimov. It is currently published by Penny Publications. From January 2017, the publication ...

'', 1979) and "Haiku for the Space Shuttle" (''IASFM'', 1980) starting the trend. In 1994, Michael Bishop's story "Cri di Coeur" (IASFM 1994) featured a haiku contest held on an interstellar ship, with the topic of haiku about astrophysics, subject to the constraint that (as in Japanese haiku) the poems must each feature a season. (The ten haiku featured in the story were written by Bishop and

Geoffrey A. Landis Geoffrey Alan Landis (; born May 28, 1955) is an American aerospace engineer and author, working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on planetary exploration, interstellar propulsion, solar power and photovoltaics. He ...

). The most extensive use of haiku in science fiction is in

David Brin Glen David Brin (born October 6, 1950) is an American scientist and author of science fiction. He has won the Hugo,Uplift Universe The Uplift Universe is a fictional universe created by American science fiction writer David Brin. A central feature in this universe is the process of biological uplift. His books which take place in this universe are: * '' Sundiver'' (1980) * ...

(especially in the novel

Startide Rising ''Startide Rising'' is a 1983 science fiction novel by American writer David Brin, the second book of six set in his Uplift Universe (preceded by '' Sundiver'' and followed by ''The Uplift War''). It earned both Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best No ...

), where the uplifted dolphins speak a haiku-like language called Trinary. He has characters quoting haiku by

Kobayashi Issa was a Japanese poet and lay Buddhist priest of the Jōdo Shinshū. He is known for his haiku poems and journals. He is better known as simply , a pen name meaning Cup-of-teaBostok 2004. (lit. "one up oftea"). He is regarded as one of the four ...

and

Yosa Buson was a Japanese poet and painter of the Edo period. Along with Matsuo Bashō and Kobayashi Issa, Buson is considered among the greatest poets of the Edo Period. He is also known for completing haiga as a style of art, working with haibun prose ...

, and has them spontaneously writing their own haiku. Outside of his Uplift Universe, Brin has haiku as chapter epigrams in his novel ''

The Postman ''The Postman'' is a post-apocalyptic dystopia science fiction novel by David Brin. It is about a man wandering the desolate Oregon countryside who finds a United States Postal Service uniform, which he puts on and then claims he is a mail carri ...

''. One of the main characters in

Neal Stephenson Neal Town Stephenson (born October 31, 1959) is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction. His novels have been categorized as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, postcyberpunk, and baroque. Stephenson's work exp ...

's ''

Cryptonomicon ''Cryptonomicon'' is a 1999 novel by American author Neal Stephenson, set in two different time periods. One group of characters are World War II-era Allied codebreakers and tactical-deception operatives affiliated with the Government Code and ...

'', Bobby Shaftoe, is a haiku-writing U.S. Marine Raider during World War II. The book's prologue starts with one of his very rough haik

::Two tires fly. Two wail. ::A bamboo grove, all chopped down ::From it, warring songs Zoe's boyfriend, in

John Scalzi John Michael Scalzi II (born May 10, 1969) is an American science fiction author and former president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is best known for his ''Old Man's War'' series, three novels of which have been nom ...

's 2008 novel ''

Zoe's Tale ''Zoe's Tale'' is a science fiction novel by American writer John Scalzi. It is the fourth full-length book in the ''Old Man's War'' universe. Plot synopsis ''Zoe's Tale'' is a parallel retelling of Scalzi's third Old Man's War novel, ''The Last ...

'', sends a haiku to her PDA. Two of the more famous science fiction authors who have also written science fiction haiku are

Joe Haldeman Joe William Haldeman (born June 9, 1943) is an American science fiction author. He is best known for his novel ''The Forever War'' (1974). That novel and other works, including ''The Hemingway Hoax'' (1991) and '' Forever Peace'' (1997), have wo ...

and

Thomas M. Disch Thomas Michael Disch (February 2, 1940 – July 4, 2008) was an American science fiction author and poet. He won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book – previously called "Best Non-Fiction Book" – in 1999, and he had two other Hugo nomination ...

. The author

Paul O. Williams Paul O. Williams (January 17, 1935 – June 2, 2009) was an American science fiction writer and haiku poet. Williams won multiple awards including the John W. Campbell Award and the Museum of Haiku Literature Award; and was professor emeritus of ...

, who has written a series of science fiction books as well as books of regular haiku and

senryū is a Japanese form of short poetry similar to haiku in construction: three lines with 17 (or , often translated as syllables, but see the article on for distinctions). tend to be about human foibles while haiku tend to be about nature, and a ...

, has combined both interests with some published science fiction haiku.

Scifaiku mailing lists

There have been three different Internet scifaiku mailing lists in succession. These mailing lists have been the primary base for the writing and sharing of scifaiku on the internet. The original sciFaiku mailing list was a Univ. of Michigan-based listserv (where Tom Brinck was in graduate school). The first post on the list was on 23 July 1996. Later on there was a mailing list organized through scifaiku.com (first post 15 February 1998). After problems with that mailing list server, the scifaiku list moved to Yahoo! Groups on 17 March 2001. As of 22 July 2006 there have been over 13,000 posts just on the scifaiku mailing list at Yahoo! Groups. From the home page:

This group is for the writing and sharing of science fiction haiku (aka scifaiku). We also occasionally write similar genres, such as
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
haiku and horror haiku. The members also write SF poems using other short poetry forms, such as
waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...
, senryū,
sijo ''Sijo'' () is a Korean traditional poetic form that emerged in the Goryeo period, flourished during the Joseon Dynasty, and is still written today. Bucolic, metaphysical, and cosmological themes are often explored. The three lines average 14� ...
, kanshi, etc.

Group members have also created a few of their own poetry forms, such as the ''contrail'' and the ''Fibonacci-No-Haiku'' (based upon the

Fibonacci number In mathematics, the Fibonacci numbers, commonly denoted , form a sequence, the Fibonacci sequence, in which each number is the sum of the two preceding ones. The sequence commonly starts from 0 and 1, although some authors start the sequence from ...

), written SF poetry based on other short poetry forms such as the

cinquain Cinquain is a class of poetic forms that employ a 5-line pattern. Earlier used to describe any five-line form, it now refers to one of several forms that are defined by specific rules and guidelines. American cinquain The modern form, known as Am ...

, and experimented with a number of collaborative poetry forms such as science fiction

renga ''Renga'' (, ''linked verse'') is a genre of Japanese collaborative poetry in which alternating stanzas, or ''ku (''句), of 5-7-5 and 7-7 mora (sound units, not to be confused with syllables) per line are linked in succession by multiple poets. ...

and stellarenga.

Scifaiku and science fiction haiku publications

* ''Slippage'', a bi-annual, online literary magazine bridging the worlds of art and scienc

* ''Haiku by Unohu'' by Keith Allen Daniels, Anamnesis Press, April 2000, (because most of the poems are humorous, they could be best be described as science fiction

) * ''Scifaikuest'', a quarterl
online
and print short-form SFF poetry journal fro
Alban Lake Publishing
(formerly Sam's Dot Publishing) * ''Stellar Possibilities'' by John J. Dunphy, Sam's Dot Publishing, 2006 (a collection of scifaiku and haibun) * ''Red Planet Dust'' by Deborah P. Kolodji, Gromagon Press, 2006 (a chapbook of scifaiku) * ''A Nameless Place'' by Joanne Morcom, Sam's Dot Publishing, 2006 (a chapbook of scifaiku, tanka and haibun) * ''Random Planets'' edited by Teri Santitoro and L.A. Story Houry, Sam's Dot Publishing (an anthology of scifaiku) * ''Dwarf Stars: 30 Stellar Short-Short Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Poems from 2004'', edited by Deborah P. Kolodji, 2005 (an anthology of scifaiku and other very short speculative fiction poems; the first in an annual series published by the

Science Fiction Poetry Association The Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA) is a society based in the United States with the aim of fostering an international community of writers and readers interested in poetry pertaining to the genres of science fiction, fantasy, ...

) * ''Instantaneous (In)sanity'' by Jess C Scott, jessINK Publishing, 2012 (a poetry anthology that features scifaiku) * ''The Starlight SciFaiku Review'' (ISSN 2770-9116). A quarterly literary journal of SciFaiku and science fiction minimalist line art in b&w. Published online, in digital, and in print. Justin T. O'Conor Sloane, editor, Starship Sloane Publishing Company, Inc.

Awards

The Science Fiction Poetry Association gives out the

Dwarf Stars Award The Dwarf Stars Award is an annual award presented by the Science Fiction Poetry Association to the author of the best horror, fantasy, or science fiction poem of ten lines or fewer published in the previous year. The award was established in 20 ...

for the best short-short speculative poem each year, including scifaiku and related short-short science-fictional poetry (defined as under ten lines in length). The nominees for the award are published in an annual anthology, ''Dwarf Stars''.

References

{{Reflist

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

'', June 9, 2005 · Melissa Block and

Robert Siegel Robert Charles Siegel (born June 26, 1947) is an American retired radio journalist. He was one of the co-hosts of the National Public Radio evening news broadcast ''All Things Considered'' from 1987 until his retirement in January 2018. Early ...

read scifaiku from the ''Periodic Table of Haiku''
Five Haiku by Geoffrey A. Landis
(astronomy haiku from http://astropoetica.com) Haikai forms Science fiction literature Word play

Science fiction haiku

Scifaiku mailing lists

Scifaiku and science fiction haiku publications

Awards

References

External links