A True Literary Hybrid: Poetic Forms & Devices in Flash Fiction Part Three - The Haibun
Poetic Forms & Devices in Flash Fiction: Part Three
Lions, and Tigers, and Ligers, Oh My! (Public Domain image, 1900)
UPCOMING SUMMER WRITE TOGETHER SESSIONS!
Hi everyone! First of all, heads up! I’m going to lead six Write Together sessions this summer! We will write for 45 minutes (I’ll provide inspiration / prompt, etc.) and there’ll be time afterwards for those who want to share. This is a paid subscriber perk, so if you’re keen and want to join us, consider upgrading!
There is nothing to sign up for! All paid subscribers will receive the links to these sessions via this newsletter ahead of time.
Mark your calendars and please remember to convert to your own local time zone. Note that in some cases the time conversions will result in the date changing to the next day (hello, Southern Hemisphere folks!).
FRIDAY, JUNE 12TH 10:00 a.m. & 7:00 p.m. EASTERN TIME U.S.
FRIDAY, JULY 10TH 10:00 a.m. & 7:00 p.m. EASTERN TIME U.S.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 14TH. 10:00 a.m. & 7:00 p.m. EASTERN TIME U.S.
Okay! As you know, I’ve been exploring the use of poetic forms and devices in flash fiction. See below my two recent newsletters on the sestina flash and the pantoum:
Today, I’d like to discuss a true literary hybrid: the haibun. There’s a fun prompt at the end for you to try as well!
I’ve noted before that the flash form has evolved, become more fluid, expanding its purview to include hybrid forms such as haibun and prose poetry. The Best Small Fictions series has furthered this evolution since its inception in 2015, featuring micro, flash, haibun, prose poetry, and other hybrid forms. In his introduction to the 2020 edition, outgoing Series Editor Nathan Leslie said:
“Perhaps there is something in the water, in the shifting aesthetic sentiments. Best Small Fictions has always nurtured deep hybrid roots, open to genre-crossing literature. In 2020 especially, categories seem less and less meaningful to this editor. Words are words. Literature is literature.”
What makes haibun such a true hybrid is that it blends poetry and story. They are also just fun to write!