Fall Haiku Walk: Autumn Light at Yume

October 24 @ 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

In Person Yume Japanese Gardens

Register Here

$30 Non-Member / $24 Member

“As autumn settles gently over Yume Japanese Gardens, each path, stone, and tree offer an invitation to pause and notice. During this guided Haiku Walk, participants will explore the gardens and quiet beauty of the season through mindful observation and the timeless practice of haiku. Together, we will discover how light, color, water, and silence reveal the subtle changes that make autumn one of the garden’s most reflective seasons and how a single moment in nature can become a poem.  

No previous writing experience is needed. This experience is open to anyone with a sense of curiosity and a willingness to notice the beauty of the present.

Hosted by

Kenneth Pearson

Kenneth Pearson is the Founder of Live a Haiku Life, a speaker, author, and facilitator at Yume Japanese Gardens of Tucson. Through workshops, guided Haiku Walks, and reflective experiences, he helps people rediscover the extraordinary within ordinary moments. His work is rooted in the belief that haiku is more than poetry. It is a way of seeing that awakens presence, deepens awareness, and inspires a more intentional way of living through what he calls The Presence Practice.”

Join us for our 3rd annual Fall Fundraising Event:
Pairings · Music & Morsels

In partnership with Tucson City of Gastronomy

October 21 · 6pm
Fox Tucson Theatre Historic Auditorium

Like Give & Take, Lucy & Ricky, Bacon & Eggs, the Fox and YOU…some things belong together.

Experience the next chapter of all-new musical and culinary connections in this one-of-a-kind evening that “pairs” artists from Tucson’s unparalleled performance and food scenes, all in the warm embrace of the magnificent Fox Tucson’s historic stage.

FEATURING world premiere songs written for the occasion by Tucson songwriting icons, curated by Fox Tucson Theatre

Packages range from single tickets to groups of ten. Seating priority is based on the size of the sponsorship.

Like Truth & Consequence, Bert & Ernie, Wine & Cheese, Musician and Audience…some things are meant to be paired.

All proceeds benefit the Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation.”

Tickets: https://foxtucson.com/event/pairings-2026/

Schedule: October 17

11 to 11:30 a.m. Paul Amiel on shakuhachi flute at Gathering Green (north of Pennington St.)

2 to 2:45 p.m. Chef Kintaro Richards demonstrating korokke (croquettes) at Culture Kitchen stage (NEW this year)

6:45 to 8 p.m. Odaiko Sonora drummers at Church Stage

October 18:

11 to 12:15 p.m. Odaiko Sonora with Suzuyuki Kai dancers doing Obon dance at Gathering Green, north of Pennington St.

1:45 to 2:30 p.m. Suzuyuki Kai with Odaiko Sonora on Stone Stage

UA lecturer Chieko Nakano will be teaching origami throughout the festival at the Folk Artist tent at C5.

All info here: https://tucsonmeetyourself.org/schedule/

Yume Japanese Gardens was acquired by Tucson Botanical Gardens (TBG) in May 2025 and has been under extensive renovation. It will re-open to the public on Sunday October 11, 2026 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. It is located at 2150 N. Alvernon Way.

Two new exhibits will open that day — Sounds, Silence & Time: A Glimpse Into Hogaku, and The Boy Who Drew Cats.

“The exhibition will offer a glimpse into the vast and multilayered world of hōgaku. Yume’s two pocket galleries will showcase a selection of traditional Japanese instruments from Yume’s historic and new collections, complemented by generous loans from individual artists and the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM).”

“TBG is delighted to celebrate the opening of Yume Japanese Gardens with a special exhibition of illustrations by Manabu Saito. Selected from the Gardens’ private collection of Saito’s work, the show spotlights 14 original publisher proofs he created for the children’s book, “The Boy Who Drew Cats, and Other Tales of Lafcadio Hearn.”

More info on these exhibits here: https://tucsonbotanical.org/yume/.

Haiku Comics Workshop – 8-week series

October 11 @ 1:00 pm – November 29 @ 3:00 pm

In Person Yume Japanese Gardens

Register Here

$275 Non-Member / $220 Member

Class Capacity 15, Recommended for Ages 14+

SUNDAYS, OCTOBER 11, 18, 25, NOVEMBER 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

“This class combines the subtle minimalism of Japanese haiku poetry and the versatile visual imagery of comics (manga). Each session invites participants to capture small, beautiful moments from daily life that often go unnoticed. Through guided instruction, reflection, gentle prompts, and supportive group sharing, we will explore the structure and principles of haiku alongside the fundamentals of comics. Participants will develop their own illustrated narrative poems while building tools for self-expression, insight, and creative confidence.

Our art-making sessions will include mindfulness practices, guided visualizations, and somatic (mind–body–spirit) awareness exercises to help participants connect more deeply with their experiences.

Recommended Art Materials:

A Strathmore 300 Series Bristol sketchbook is included.

Additional suggested supplies:*

• Sakura Pigma Micron Set of 3 Black Pens, Size 01
  https://artistcraftsman.com/sakura-pigma-micron-pens-01-black-set-of-3/
• Sakura Pigma Micron Pen, Size 08, Black Felt Tip Artist Drawing Pen
  https://artistcraftsman.com/sakura-pigma-micron-pens/
• Faber-Castell Pitt Big Brush Artist Pens, Black
  https://artistcraftsman.com/drawing/pens/faber-castell-pitt-big-brush-artist-pens-black/

*These supplies are suggested but not required. The instructor will provide them if needed.

instructor

Lin Lucas

Lin Lucas is a multi-disciplinary ritual-artist, educator, and ancestral lineage healing practitioner whose teaching practice centers the reactivation of intuition. Lin has taught youth and adult graphic narrative courses for a wide variety of schools and arts organizations in Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, and Tucson. His work is an extension of his interest in Chan Buddhism and the Japanese art of butoh; it is grounded in a desire to reclaim the transformative role of dreamers in community. 

Lin’s published comics and short fiction have appeared in Top Shelf Comics anthologies, the Xeric Award-winning Two-Fisted Science, the French anthology Le Dernier Nerone, Split Rock Review, Genesis Science Fiction Magazine, and the Genesis II Anthology. “