Here at Call of the Page, we like haibun of all lengths. But one of the most popular and frequently published haibun lengths, is short, generally including just one or two haiku. This brand new course embraces the tiny haibun!

What is Haibun? Haibun is a form of writing originating in Japan where prose writing is interspersed with haiku.

Start Date:  Thursday 22nd January 2026

End Date:  Thursday 4th June 2026 (allows for an extra two weeks over the spring break)

Level:  This course is suitable for those who are already writing haiku or tanka (you might have completed one or more of our haiku or tanka courses previously, or studied one to one with Alan). Besides this, it is suitable for all levels of haibun experience, whether as a beginner wanting to start with short pieces, or as a more experienced writer who enjoys short-form haibun, and would benefit from some structure and optional prompts to create more pieces of work.

Number of Assignments: 6

Group Size:  up to 6 places (3 places left)

Course Description:

You will be invited to create a new haibun for each assignment, and will have a choice of templates (including a freestyle option) to choose from to help you structure your piece. There will be an optional prompt for each assignment, with at least a week to work on your new piece, and you will receive feedback one week later in a group document. We leave you to digest the feedback for a few days before announcing the next prompt.

Haibun Length:  up to 130 words

What Should I Know? Getting the haiku (or tanka) right is widely believed to be the most challenging part of haibun – to the extent that when existing haibun writers are looking to improve, they sometimes come to us specifically looking to advance their haiku skills before returning to haibun. You can say it's a case of walking before you can run! And then haibun becomes one of the forms that our participants find most satisfying to write!

If you are an absolute beginner at haibun, and want to start with the basics, then if you can bear with us, we do have an "Introducing... Haibun" course in development. Although we would still strongly emphasize that you study haiku and/or tanka first, as the course will assume you have studied one of these already.

Cost: £290.00 (approx US$387)

Early Bird Cost: £280 (approxUS$374) if booked by end of Thursday 8th January 2026.

By booking on to this course you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Thank you!