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.

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