Working On Gallery Vol. 7 - No.6
Part 1
Guest Poet: John Burgess (J.B.)
Curator: Naoko Fujimoto
Part 1
Guest Poet: John Burgess (J.B.)
Curator: Naoko Fujimoto
Contemporary Haibun Online - John Burgess
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John Burgess (J.B.) grew up in upstate New York, worked on a survey crew in Montana, and taught English in Japan He’s now retired and writes and draws in Seattle. His influences include ’70s punk, Montana bars, and Japanese haiku. He has six books of poetry from Ravenna Press, each interwoven with an increasing number of maps, graphs, and comics. He’s been writing haiku for over 40 years. For the past 10 years he’s been creating poetry comics and haiku comics, and since 2022 he’s been researching “A History of Poetry Comics.” See more at punkpoet.net/blog. WEAVE is a theme for the Working On Gallery Vol.7. For this volume, I am focusing on writers and artists who weave elements into their creative community. Those elements could be family relationships, neighborhood activities, or academic interpretations. Either way, one thread tightens and makes us stronger like a universal cloth. |
John Burgess
Contemporary Haibun Online - John Burgess
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Many readers of the Working On Gallery study creative writing with visual elements. A graphic narrative is a broad term, which includes visual poetry, comic poetry, graphic literature, and beyond. They adapt visual elements into their writings and intertwine words and images into their outcome.
I came across John Burgess's awesome blog posts, "A History of Poetry Comics." He had posted his ideas and research on poetry comics. There are thirty articles since October 2022. I listed all of them and chose his quotes from the articles, so our readers can click on their areas of interest. Please visit Part 2 for more information. Though I strongly recommend reading all of them if you are pursuing a creative profession. I have been familiar with Japanese traditional art, haiga, (Burgess introduced Japanese poet and painter, Yosa Buson, 1716 -1784, in his blog), and older art formats like emaki (Japanese picture scroll, and my inspiration for GLYPH, Tupelo 2021, mainly because I am Japanese and my grandmother was a calligrapher). However, it had never occurred to me to connect haiku and comics. The cutout of life and short words translates well into a comic style. I had never thought of its similarity with calligraphy techniques for asemic writing. It was a great reminder to think outside of what I knew and believed. William Blake was also one of my favorite Western poets and artists. I will definitely visit his house in London. I loved reading Burgess’s poetry comic journey because I felt that I was on the right track when I started getting involved with this genre. I am going to create my Haiku Comic following his instructions! |
John Burgess
NF: Why did you start organizing A History of Poetry Comics? What was your trigger?
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JB: I’ve always been looking for ways to add context for my poems. It was an urge to address “What does it mean?” before I was asked. My first attempt, which continues today, was to collaborate with musicians. Calling ourselves the Band of Poets a guitarist and a drummer would improvise behind my poems, underscoring and sometimes shifting the meaning. It also led to me writing more rhythmic and longer poems.
Next came mapping, which also continues today. The first fruit from this focus was Maps + Text chapbook (2014) that paired poems with hand drawn maps that I intended would add context for the poems. I added projection to my poetry readings starting around then to be able to project images of the maps while I read the poem. I recently illuminated Woods by Ralph Waldo Emerson with a series of maps of where I grew up. Drawing comics started with a class I took from David Lasky and Greg Stump at Hugo House in the early 2010s. One of the first assignments was to illustrate “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost in comic form. I was hooked! When Lasky started exploring haiku comics, I quickly followed. It made sense to me immediately — here was a way to add context to words. I started to learn all I could about words and drawings together, which led to me starting A History of Poetry Comics blog to capture what I was learning — and what I’m still learning. |
John Burgess
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John Burgess
NF: What are you working on currently? Do you keep posting A History of Poetry Comics?
JB: I’m working on an expanded version of Super Haiku Hero Santoka, telling more of his life story in linked four-panel haiku comics. If I’m successful it will be my first graphic novel -- ha ha. I'm also continuing my DIY zine project that I call Future Unwritten Press to share my poetry comics (along with other writings) which I give away for free. Yes, I still blog A History of Poetry Comics — there’s more to learn and more to share. For example, I met a comic artist who draws comics of Japanese death haiku, so I want to blog about his work next.
WORKING ON HAIKU COMICS (3 Steps)
Essay by John Burgess (J.B.)
No. 1 THE HAIKU PART
My haiku starts in the moment — a report of a direct observation or experience. Sometimes they include a second, seemingly unrelated observation, found word(s), orbits of an overheard conversation. Sometimes they’re “first thought, best thought.” Most times they need work. I’m totally into the rewriting process (I worked years as an editor). I enjoy tweaking word choice and playing with line breaks. I rearrange the lines. I edit out unnecessary words (such as “the”). The brevity of the haiku form means every word matters. I think about kireji (cutting word). In Japanese haiku it’s a word that creates a pause or break. In English-language haiku this concept is often accomplished with punctuation marks or line breaks. I think about kigo (season word). In Japanese haiku it’s a word that indicates the time of year. It’s an integral part of classic haiku that’s often dropped in free-style and English-language haiku. I don’t always worry about the traditional constraint of 3 lines with a 5-7-5 syllable count. While I usually work toward 3 lines, my haiku often are shorter than 17-syllables. My interest in writing haiku has waned and waxed for over 40 years but continues to persist. I’ve read various translations of Japanese haiku including Bashō, Chiyo-ni, Buson, Issa, Shiki, and the free-style haiku poets Hōsai and Santōka. And lots of English-language haiku including Jack Kerouac and Richard Wright. I continue to learn from other poets at Haiku Northwest gatherings. When I reread my haiku (sometimes weeks or months later) it’s important it takes me back to the original moment. Or I might rewrite it again! |
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No. 2 THE COMICS PART
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Once I have the haiku I start drawing.
This part is new for me. I started taking comics classes about 10 years ago with comics artists David Lasky and Greg Stump at Hugo House, Seattle’s creative writing center. They were very encouraging to me and have helped me grow my confidence in drawing. (I still take classes from David.)
Before being introduced to comics, I had drawn maps as a way to add context to my poetry (an activity that continues through today). My sense of layout, how I use simple lines, and my love of legends come from mapping. The other major influence on my comics style has been my study of shōdo, Japanese calligraphy. I practiced under Tokio Kikugawa for 30 years, reaching the rank of shi-han (instructor) with the Ehime Calligraphy Study Society. This experience shows up in my comics, especially my use of white space and why I love working in black-and-white. |
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When starting a comic, I first decide what `12panel layout to use. Sometimes this is driven by the haiku itself — does it need its kireji emphasized? or is it more linear and sequential? Sometimes this is driven by considering how it will be shared — should it fit the format for a collection I’m working on?
Next, I sketch quick thumbnails to work through different approaches to what to draw and how to sequence the panels. This is another fun part for me — it’s like editing but graphically. My drawing vocabulary is basic and (so far) includes line drawings, marks, speech bubbles, grawlix, emanata, and lettering. Ideally, the drawing for the haiku will add information, complete the thought, or (best of all) create a third meaning that the haiku or comic can’t always do alone. |
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No. 3 THE HAIKU COMIC
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Once the idea for the drawing part has gelled, I create a pencil draft to the actual finish size. I fit the haiku into the layout, usually in three lines, either at the top or the bottom of the panels. Sometimes this takes 2 or 3 attempts — and lots of erasing. If I choose a four-panel layout, there’s almost always a panel left with no text, creating or emphasizing the cut (a visual kireji) in the haiku. I’ve also left a panel completely blank (a nod to what white space can convey). Using a light table, I trace the pencil draft onto Bristol board with pen (I’ve settled on Sakura Microns). This isn’t a perfect process — my hand can slip, a line can be missed, a stray mark can show up seemingly from nowhere, the lettering doesn’t fit just right. I try my best to embrace the imperfections that emerge. In Japanese it’s called wabi-sabi,the perfection in imperfection. Because I draw my comics by hand, not on a computer, I often will let these “mistakes” find their way into the final. I scan the final inked haiku comic to create a digital file I can share on social or use to create a zine. I’ve completed a haiku comic from writing to drawing to inking as fast as a couple hours (the length of a class). More often it stretches over days — the rewriting of the haiku and deciding on how best to illuminate it take the most time for me. Either way, I try not to force it. It’s almost always better if I let it unfold as it will. |
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WHY HAIKU COMICS?
- Words and pictures have gone together for centuries. Haiku comics continue a long tradition of the poet as artist.
- The constraints of comics provide the perfect context for haiku. Like haiku, comics are short, move from thought to thought, and come with an aha moment.
- Haiku comics “make it new.” They prove the power of one of poetry’s shortest forms to remain relevant and engaging.
