QUICK TAKES - April 25, 2009
Things are taking a turn for the verse in the Northern California city of Ukiah as the local literati throw their annual bash celebrating all things haiku -- which just happens to be Ukiah spelled backward.
The ukiaHaiku Festival, taking place Sunday at the Ukiah City Conference Center, drew more than 1,500 entries from 10 countries this year, a big jump from the 300 it started out with seven years ago.
Like the art form, prizes are small, running mostly to book certificates. The big champion gets $100.
Haiku, a traditional Japanese art form, became popular in the United States in the ‘70s, an appeal that has intensified with the advent of Internet communications, said Randy Brooks, electronic media officer for the Haiku Society of America.
Haiku “really has gained momentum,” said Brooks. “Frankly, I think it’s contagious. It somehow fits in our contemporary age.”
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