| What better way to celebrate National Poetry Month and visual art in central Washington than to partner with Inland Poetry in mounting an international exhibition of haiku comics curated by arguably the best in the field, Seattle’s own J.B. and David Lasky? There is no better way.
Possibly the first group exhibition of haiku comics ever (certainly first in the US), this exhibition is a result of an online course developed by David Lasky where he melds the craft of both comic book illustration and haiku poetry. This show features a mixture of original art and prints and includes former students of his program, some of whom are from both the North and South of our borders.
So, what exactly are haiku comics? Haiku is a three-line poetic form originating in Japan. Comic strips, taking form in American newspapers, are often just three or four panels long. It turns out that the two forms blend together very well. While the Japanese art of haiga (haiku plus a drawing) is centuries old, the idea of making a haiku comic (turning a haiku poem into a comic strip of more than one panel) is something that originated in only the last 30 or so years.
This showcase of writer-artists features several notable creative: Kevan Atteberry is a children’s book author-illustrator and the designer of Microsoft’s Clippy, the character that everyone loves to hate. Shin Yu Pai is currently Seattle’s Civic Poet. She and Justin Rueff recently released what might be the world’s first book collection of haiku comics, Less Desolate. Monica Plant has had her haiku comics featured online through the Haiku Foundation’s website. Liz Wong is an author and illustrator with four books to her name. Author and illustrator Ellie Peterson is a 2023 Washington State Book Award Winner. Artist Tina Hoggatt has permanent work on display in the Seattle Mariners’ ballpark, while graphic novelist Megan Kelso has a comics mural, etched in stainless steel, at Climate Pledge Arena. Michael Green is one of the founders of the field of Graphic Medicine, an international network of medical professionals, scholars, and comics artists. |
