In this episode of the Poetry Pea Podcast, Patricia McGuire introduces the remarkable poetry of Anne McKay, an award-winning Canadian poet whose lyrical haiku and haiku-inspired poetry deserve to be much better known.

She explores a selection of Anne McKay's haiku, looking at her evocative imagery, her musical use of language, her distinctive use of white space, and the subtle techniques that make her poems linger long after they've been read. Along the way, Patricia reflects on reading haiku aloud, the role of punctuation in contemporary haiku, and white space.

Whether you're new to Anne McKay's work or already a fan, this episode offers a thoughtful exploration of a poet whose quiet observations should inspire readers around the world.

Don't forget to visit the Poetry Pea YouTube channel and take part in this month's video prompt. Guest editor Matt Snyder is looking forward to reading your haiku, senryū and haibun, and your poem could be selected for publication in the next Poetry Pea Journal and featured on a future Poetry Pea Podcast.

If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate and leave a review. It helps other poetry lovers discover the show.

In this episode:

• Anne McKay's haiku and poetic style

• Reading haiku aloud

• White space, sound and punctuation in haiku

• Haiku technique and close reading

• This month's Poetry Pea video prompt

Keep writing.

Rivers have always carried stories. In this episode of the Poetry Pea Podcast, we follow their winding course through a carefully curated collection of contemporary haiku and senryū, alongside classic poems that continue to inspire writers today.

These tiny poems explore rivers as places of connection and separation, memory and movement, peace and conflict. From quiet birdsong to distant sirens, from bridges that unite to waters that divide, each haiku offers a fresh perspective on one of poetry's oldest and richest images.

Featured poets:

Johnny Moran

Kim Klugh

Melissa Dennison

Mona Bedi

Rupa Anand

Jacek Margolak

Anjali Warhadpande

Paul Callus

Lakshmi Iyer

Sandip Chauhan

Vikram Kolmannskog

Arvinder Kaur

Vaishnavi Ramaswamy, India

Tony Williams

Corinne Timmer

Minal Sarosh

Ian Richardson

Rowan Beckett Minor, PPJ 3:25

Anna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo

Anthony Lusardi

Robin Rich

Caroline Ridley-Duff

Janice Doppler

Okamoto Kanoko, trs Makoto Ueda

Maya Daneva

Buson, trs RH Blyth

Roger Ishii

David Cox

If you write haiku, senryū or Japanese short-form poetry, this episode is full of inspiration for your own writing. And don't forget to visit the Poetry Pea YouTube channel to take part in this month's video prompt, guest-edited by Lakshmi Iyer—there's still time to leave your poem in the comments.

Subscribe to the Poetry Pea Podcast for weekly episodes celebrating haiku, senryū, haibun, tanka, poetry craft, interviews with leading poets, and practical inspiration for writers at every stage of their journey.

See you next week.

This week's episode page

In the final episode of this three-part series on noun poetry, Patricia reads a wonderful collection of listener poems, inspired by the nouns. This episode examines how carefully chosen images can evoke emotion without relying on explanation or abstract language.

With practical analysis and inspiring examples, this episode offers valuable insights for anyone looking to write stronger haiku, senryū and short-form poetry.

Whether you're a seasoned poet or just beginning your haiku journey, you'll come away with a deeper appreciation of the power of images, the importance of observation and the quiet magic that happens when nouns are allowed to do the work.

There's a little bit of homework for you this week, check the show notes.

Subscribe to the Poetry Pea Podcast for weekly conversations about haiku, senryū, haibun and the craft of Japanese short-form poetry. And if you enjoy the show, please leave a review and share it with a fellow poet—it really helps the podcast grow.

Poets Featured today:

Rebecca Upjohn

Andrea Cisco

Jeannie Harkema

Ralph Matthews

Vaishnavi Ramaswamy

Steve Bahr

Cynthia Anderson

Seamus O’Connor

Lorraine Padden

Kim Klugh

Susan Andrews

Melissa Dennison

Jenny Shepherd

Rupa Anand

Mark Forrester

Tony Williams

Alicia Samson

Katie Montagna

Christine Wenk-Harrison

Jonathan English

Emil Karla

Sangita Kalarickal

Elliot Diamond

Richard Tice

Neena Singh

Bisshie