The creator of the popular Instagram game #haikuhumpday has published her first poetry collection, curating some of her best work for longtime followers and new readers alike.
Author Joanna R. Gray has released Haiku Humpday, her first book that features a curated collection of her “humpday haikus,” which she made popular through social media.
The book is available at https://amzn.to/30ONSYp
Published by Reasonable Awesome, the book brings Ms. Gray’s body of work from the internet to one’s home library. In addition to poems, it offers a bonus section, where the reader can add their own verses.
Haiku Humpday originated from the eponymous game Ms. Gray introduced on her Instagram account during a “bored Wednesday in an office somewhere.”
In this game, she would post a theme with the hashtag #haikuhumpday each week. She would then use the responses of her followers as writing prompts for a haiku, which she would post within the next 24 hours.
The social media game soon grew a large following, with many posting their own creations along with the game’s official hashtag.
Topics are varied and often meant to be humorous. In her foreword, Ms. Gray recalled seeing “stethoscope” and “platypus” as topic requests. “There are, in fact, several about my cat and several more about coffee,” she added.
This is why “My Cat” is one of the main categories in the book, along with “Seasons & Weather,” “Travel,” and “Everything Else.”
Apart from a wide selection of poems, the book also features Ms. Gray’s thoughts and tips on writing haikus, such as being spontaneous instead of trying to be clever.
“The trick is to come up with something—anything—interesting to say about whatever is in front of you,” she said.
Moreover, she hopes that readers would use the book as a writing prompt and source of inspiration to “fire up” their imagination, so they could start composing their own poems.
According to her, there’s something worth noticing and writing about, wherever one may be.
Ms. Gray continues to post new haikus on her Instagram and Twitter accounts. She said that her next major work would be a novel.
Haiku Humpday is available now in paperback for $7.54 and Kindle format for $4.89.
You can find additional details about Ms. Gray’s first major work at https://amzn.to/30ONSYp