Each installment of The Friendship Files features a conversation between The Atlantic’s Julie Beck and two or more friends, exploring the history and significance of their relationship. This week she ...

Back in middle school English class, haiku was the perfect poetry. Haiku poems were short, and the rules of engagement were simple. The first line contained five syllables, the middle line contained ...

* What can we learn about reading and writing haiku, in particular traditional Japanese haiku? * What can we learn about reading literature closely, by focusing on words and images in order to explore ...

Fortunately, readers responded in droves. Some haikus came from parents and their children; some from classes of elementary and junior high school students. Some were earnest looks at the holy origins ...

Anshika Lal (left) and Caprice Jackson, of Tiny WPA, install the Rain Poetry exhibit at Vernon Park. Some of the haiku, written by elementary students, will be permanently visible. Others will be ...