The Wonder Code: Discover the Way of Haikuy and see the world with new eyes

by Scott Mason

A book of English language haiku and commentary on the joys of the "haiku way/life."

Genres: Poetry

370 pages

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wonder Code was the text for a class I took from Jennifer Burd at The Loft on modern haiku. The book is an anthology of haiku first published in The Heron's Nest and organized into chapters that illustrate haiku qualities such as sensoriness, surprise, or connection. I was pleased to find poets represented whose names I recognized from the Wisconsin poetry community as well as other friends. I liked Mason's diverse choices; some haiku required several readings before I neared understanding, others I got in a flash. Especially helpful for beginners, I am grateful to Mason for making it available to our class.

[Rick Jackofsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are other haiku anthologies that explain how English language haiku has evolved (is still evolving) from Chinese and Japanese Zen poetry, but this is a different kind of book. In some ways, it's an anthology of twenty-first century English haiku (it contains several hundred haiku selected from the pages of The Heron's Nest haiku journal), but The Wonder Code is really more about "seeing the world through haiku eyes," or what it feels like to read and write haiku which, IMHO, are not very far apart.

Alan Watts once described haiku as "wordless poems" that capture a moment in time much like photograph or sketch would, so it makes sense that this collection of modern haiku is divided into five "Galleries." Each "room" highlights a different aspect of haiku; the presence of the present, the surprise of finding the extraordinary in the commonplace, connecting (or reconnecting) to nature, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed the "pictures" in this exhibition, especially the final gallery, which is a one-man show of haiku by the author Scott Mason.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best haiku books I've read. Lots of example poems. Good insight into the wonder of haiku.

[Jason Ly · Rating 4 out of 5]

the intro paragraphs give great context to the haiku and give me some things to think about, good selection of haiku

[Douglas Lanzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazingly insightful view into the appreciation of nature and our world that haiku brings to readers through our eyes as writers of haiku. The examples of haiku illustrating various points were excellent, vivid and on point. Scott Mason also graciously shares some of the best from his internationally award-winning collection. A great treat for all who love or want to learn more about haiku.