April is National Poetry Month and though very little was planned to commemorate the celebration on campus, Todd Eddy took the initiative creating the haiku-a-tree project.
Beginning Monday, 97 haikus were hung from the trees near the northeast corner of the Duck Pond. The poetry installation will remain there until Saturday morning.
The Daily Lobo interviewed Todd Eddy.
DL: What gave you the idea for haiku-a-tree?
TE: I wanted to do something on campus for National Poetry Month. We don't really have a lot of poetry events on campus for National Poetry Month. I was trying to think of an event and knowing that people don't like poetry shoved down their throat, I thought haiku would be a nice medium to send the message. People could just walk out among them [the poems] hanging from the trees and see if they wanted to pursue reading these haiku or not.
DL: Why is it important to celebrate National Poetry Month?
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TE: I read that five percent of Americans read poetry. People should read poetry, they shouldn't be scared of it. I write poetry, so naturally I have an interest in spreading the message.
DL: How did you get the haiku's together?
TE: I solicited haiku from individuals via fliers. I took out ads in the Daily Lobo and Crosswinds Weekly. Everybody sent submissions to a Hotmail account. I was quite surprised with the turnout I received - 100-150 haiku from 24 different poets. I used 97 in all.
DL: Was the wind detrimental to them on Tuesday?
TE: It survived. I don't think all 97 are up there. The wind took some, people took some - there was one I am fairly certain someone just yanked off. It was a political message from one of the poets.
It was kind of cool, I had university students submit. I know of at least one person from Santa Fe that submitted. Volunteers and psychiatrists from the hospital submitted.
DL: How would you like to see this project recur, expand or develop?
TE: I saw it being just a one-time idea, but people that were involved and people who wandered by it and knew I had done it, came and told me they would like to see it continue next year. We might see haiku trees in April next year
DL: Are you a poet?
TE: Yes, poet turned accountant. That's what us poets do in frustration of not being published. We become accountants.
DL: Do you like haiku as a poetic form?
TE: Haiku's nice, I chose haiku due to the fact that it is a small piece. It's 17 syllables long. It's a three-line poem and people can stomach it better than just hearing poets drone on and on. It's more digestible and if they like it hopefully they will move on to other poetry. I really don't work in haiku form. I have one of the 97 I put out.
DL: Who is your favorite poet?
TE: Gary Snyder.
DL: Do politics have a place in art?
TE: Absolutely. Without a doubt.
DL: What did it take to get this project off the ground?
TE: I had to do this through UNM and their policies and procedures so I had to actually had to go through ASUNM and Susan Corbin. She was the one who OK'd it and since it was on trees I had to contact environmental services, so a gentleman there named Gary Smith had to OK it and did.
