The Planets: a scifaiku poetry collection

By Wendy Van Camp

The planets have fascinated humanity since the dawn of time. We've looked up into the heavens and wondered what these wandering stars are and why they are different from their more stationary cousins.  In modern times, humans have sent probes to all the planets in our solar system, sending back tantalizing views from faraway worlds.  The planets are woven into our culture and history. They are signposts of our journey ahead.

This collection of 108 science fiction haiku poems (scifaiku) will take you on a journey of exploration showcasing tiny moments of wonder with each of the planets of our solar system.

Come share in the adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wendy Van Camp
• Release date: Oct 18, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393736578

Wendy Van Camp

Wendy Van Camp has always had an interest in poetry but did not consider herself to be a poet.  One day, she happened on a scifaiku writing workshop at a local science fiction convention and was the sole student of the workshop.  There, she wrote her first science fiction themed haiku and the first poem she had written since high school.  The poem sold immediately.  She wrote more.  Over the years her free verse and scifaiku poems published in magazines such as "Quantum Visions", "Altered Reality Magazine", "Scifaikuest", "Lit Up", and "Far Horizons".  As she began to attend open-mic readings for her poems and teach how to write scifaiku in workshops of her own, Wendy has come to realize that she is indeed now a poet...in spite of herself. Wendy lives in Southern California with her husband.  She enjoys attending science fiction conventions, gemology, urban sketching, and travel. She has won Honorable Mention at the Writer's of the Future Contest and is a graduate of the James Gunn Speculative Fiction Workshop. 

Book preview

Foreword

What is Scifaiku?

Scifaiku is minimal in execution and elegant, similar to Japanese Haiku. The form is inspired by the principles of haiku, but it deviates due to its science fiction theme. The standard length of a poem is 17 syllables. While traditional haiku has three lines: first five syllables, then seven, and then five again, scifaiku does not need to follow this structure. The pattern is merely a guideline.

Haiku and scifaiku both involve creating a sense of a single moment in time and space. The poet needs to discover that moment and the feelings that it invokes within herself. While scifaiku does not require a kigo, as haiku does, a sense