The haibun, a poetic form popularized by Bashō in his 17th century travelog The Narrow Road to the Interior, consists of alternating passages of prose and haiku, a movement that embodies contrast, opening and occupying a liminal space between genres. Working across thresholds of form and content, the haibun embraces tension and offers poets a form through which to explore literal and figurative journeys while simultaneously achieving contemplative stillness. Often grounded in nature and incorporating a twist or tonal shift as they move between prose and poem, haibun are versatile and flexible, a satisfying ground on which to wrestle with complex ideas, relay a narrative, and explore nuance. In this craft class, we’ll lay a foundation for our understanding of the genre by reading Bashō and then move to contemporary haibun by poets such as Kimiko Hahn, Forrest Gander, Dana Levin, and Aimee Nezhukumatathil. We will also look at more experimental variations and examples of haibun and consider which of our own subjects and ideas might be served by the movement of the form.