Haiku Pea is a podcast from www.poetrypea.com. It features Haiku from Patricia McGuire and her contributing guests, as well as sharing knowledge on the evolution of Haiku, particularly English language Haiku and offering recommended reading for Haiku beginners and the experienced alike. Let’s Haiku together.
Welcome to The Poetry Peacast, where small poems loom large and every word earns its keep.
In this episode, you’ll hear poetry from the long list of Poetry Pea’s brand-new awards — the Golden Pea Awards. These are poems that came tantalisingly close to the top: work that impressed, delighted, and lingered, but ultimately didn’t quite make it into the final, glittering handful of Golden Peas.
Expect exceptional haiku, senryū, tanka and haibun from across the Poetry Pea community, read with care and accompanied by an appreciation of effort, craft, and understatement. This is a celebration of poems that were almost 24-carat gold — and in many cases, arguably are.
Thoughtful, witty, and refreshingly free of fuss, The Poetry Peacast honours the breadth and brilliance of contemporary short poetry and their brilliant writing community — and reminds us that sometimes, nearly is still rather magnificent.
Want to see a list of te poets on the loong list, head over to the episode webpage.
Urban haiku and senryū inspired by modern city life, with poems, and submission calls.
poets featured today:
m shane pruett, Haiku Pea Podcast, S3E22
Eric W Amann[i] William J Higgenson with Penny Harter,”The Haiku Handbook.” Kodansha International, 1985, p87
Barbara Tate, THF City Sidewalk, taste
Michael Dylan Welch, from Graceguts
Mizuho, Urban Ginko V – Nakazaki-cho, Osaka July 10th 2023
Akihiko, Urban Ginko V – Nakazaki-cho, Osaka July 10th 2023
Richard Wright, Haiku: This Other World, Arcade Publishing, New York, NY, 1998
Lakshmi Iyer, Poetry Pea Journal, 3.22
Bob Whitmire, THF City Sidewalk, hearing
Tracy Davidson, Poetry Pea Journal 2.23
Wendy Cobourne, Prune Juice, issue 46
Arvinder Kaur, Poetry Pea Journal, Summer 2021
Rupa Anand, failed haiku issue111
The Poetry Pea Podcast is a contemporary poetry podcast featuring original poetry, poetry prompts, video poetry prompts, and poetry readings from poets around the world.
In this episode of the Poetry Pea Podcast, we open Season Nine with original contemporary poetry written in response to our final video poetry prompt of 2025, curated by poet Kathleen Tice. This poetry podcast showcases a wide range of poetic voices and styles, demonstrating how a single poetry prompt can inspire many different poems.
You’ll also hear updates about the Poetry Pea community, the latest poetry prompt on YouTube, and how poets can submit poetry correctly by leaving poems in the YouTube comments. Submitting poetry through the YouTube comments is the only way to take part in the Poetry Pea video poetry prompt.
The Poetry Pea Podcast is ideal for poets, writers, poetry readers, and anyone looking for writing prompts, poetry inspiration, or contemporary poetry podcasts. Each episode features poetry readings, poetry prompts, and creative encouragement for poets at all stages.
Check out the poets featured today on the Episode webpage
In this special episode of the Poetry Pea Podcast, host Patricia welcomes celebrated Canadian poet Reid Hepworth for a stunning reading from her collection Loss Is a River. Praised for its emotional depth and lyrical power, Hepworth’s work explores love, loss, memory, and the quiet moments that shape our lives.
Patricia also shares an important correction and heartfelt apology to poets Mona Bedi and Marylyn Burridge, plus news about the upcoming Christmas break, the bumper Season Nine, and teases Poetry Pea Press developments planned for 2026.
Listeners will find links to Reid Hepworth’s books, Poetry Pea membership, the mailing list, and submission guidelines in the show notes.
A perfect listen for fans of contemporary poetry, haiku, senryu, haibun, one line poems, and tanka.
Subscribe, stay connected, and enjoy this beautiful end-of-year reading.
show notes
Join Patricia for a special episode of the Poetry Pea Podcast, featuring original tanka poetry from contemporary writers around the world. In this episode, she shares the judges’ nominations for the best tanka selected for the forthcoming Poetry Pea Journal. If you enjoy tanka, haiku, short-form poetry, or modern Japanese-inspired verse, this episode offers fresh poems, thoughtful commentary, and an inside look at the judging process. Perfect listening for poets, readers, and anyone passionate about tanka and micropoetry.
If you enjoy this podcast do think about supporting our work, thank you.
This week on the Poetry Peacast, we welcome Scottish poet Claire Thom, joining us from Andalusia, Spain. Claire, founder of Wee Sparrow Press, shares haiku and haibun from her beautiful collection Wildflowers in Oyster Stone. It's always enjoyable to hear a poet read their work, don't you think?
Discover how travel, nature, and poetic craft intertwine as we talk about the art of haiku editing and the inspiration behind her work.
If you love contemporary haiku, haibun, and international poetry, this episode will enchant you.
✨ Don’t forget to sign up for the Poetry Pea mailing list for news on our upcoming anthology, amongst other things — a little gem in itself!
In this episode, we visit with Canadian poet Allison Douglas Tourner, who reads from her haunting and beautiful collection sticks & bones. Together, we wander through memory, myth, and the stories that shape us — from childhood books to the darker corners of imagination.
There’s also a bit of breaking news for poetry lovers: publication of the Poetry Pea Anthology is imminent, so be sure you’re on the mailing list — it’s the perfect poetry gift for Christmas.
Join us for poetry, reflection, and a touch of wonder.
As the rain lashes Zürich and the winter tyres go on, it’s time to escape to somewhere warmer! In this episode of the Poetry Peacast, we’re off to the beaches of Langkawi, Malaysia — swapping snowflakes for seashells and cold toes for sand between them.
Patricia shares previously published haiku and senryu from the beach, plus new poems inspired by our latest video prompt. Expect crows, carols, and a touch of tropical sunshine — all wrapped up in the warmth of our global poetry community.
With thanks to Neena Singh for her expert curating, and to all the poets who took part in this month’s prompt.
If you’d like to join in, leave your haiku or senryu in the comments under the video on our YouTube channel (not by email, please!) and maybe you’ll be featured next time.
🌴 Keep writing, keep watching the waves, and see you next week for more poetic adventures.
Episode notes
It’s Poetry Pea’s birthday! To celebrate, we’re throwing a Senryū Pop Quiz — and you’re invited.
In this episode, we put our poetic instincts to the test: can you tell your haiku from your senryū? Or have some poems wandered off into the wild world of micropoetry?
Join us for a fun, thought-provoking episode full of literary nerdery, and maybe a little friendly controversy. We’ll also celebrate Joshua St. Claire’s award-winning haiku and revisit what makes haiku haiku, and senryū, senryū, from seasonal references to intuition and exposés.
Tune in, play along, and then head to the show notes to compare your answers with ours. Let’s see how many you get right—no cheating!
In this episode of Poetry Pea: The Senryū Sessions (Part Two), Patricia dives deeper into the poetic dance between haiku and senryū — where do they meet, and where do they part ways? With insights from scholars like Shirane, Wirth, Pizzarelli, and Virgil, we explore what makes a haiku an observation and a senryū a commentary. Through poems by Linda Ludwig, Vera Constantineau, Sam Blair, Shiki, Matt Snyder and others, we untangle how tone, imagery, and human perspective shape these distinct short forms.
Join us as we question, laugh, and maybe disagree — all in the spirit of good poetry.
🎧 Featuring:
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