Fierce debate is expected to take place later this month when poets from all over the world converge on Britain to examine the merits of the various styles of haiku.
Organizers say haiku will be put under a kind of "health check" at the six-day conference of the World Haiku Festival 2000.
The conference, which takes place Aug. 25 to 30 in London and Oxford, is being billed as the first "truly international" gathering on the subject.
In addition to arguing over the various forms of haiku -- broadly classified into traditional and free verse -- participants will examine haiku's future and look at ways in which it can broaden its appeal.