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October 30, 2010

Deadline extended for the Irish Haiku Society International Haiku Competition 2010.

The Irish Haiku Society International Haiku Competition offers prizes of Euro 150, Euro 50 and Euro 30 for unpublished haiku/senryu in English. In addition there will be up to 7 Highly Commended haiku/senryu. Also, there will be prizes from Dóchas Ireland of Euro 100, Euro 30 and Euro 20 for unpublished haiku/senryu in English or in Irish Gaelic (with an English translation) about Ireland in the changing world and up to 3 Highly Commended haiku/senryu in this category.

Details here: http://irishhaiku.webs.com/haikucompetition.htm

All the entries shall be postmarked by 15th November 2010.

No e-mail submissions, please!

Good luck to all!

IHS

Ginko Invitation

The Mari Warabiny Haiku Group invites you to join us for a ginko (haiku walk).

When: Saturday 20th November 2010
11 am to 1 pm (approximately)

Where: Government Gardens (Stirling Gardens, Perth).
Meet near the main gates, corner of Barrack St and Riverside Drive.

There is parking in and near Governers Tce and it’s not far from the train station.

Please let us know if you can or cannot attend. [email protected]
Thank you Meryl Manoy for organising this event.

Please bring with you:
a notebook
pen/s
picnic lunch (optional)
a drink
a folding chair (optional or if you have difficulty sitting on the ground. I will stay with the chairs and other gear)

Maureen Sexton

October 19, 2010

Results of the Friendly Street Poets Japanese Poetry Competition 2010

Our congratulations to the following for their success in this keenly contested competition.

Haiku Placegetters
1st Place: Quendryth Young
2nd Place: Sandra Simpson

Highly Commended
Bett Angel-Stawarz, Dawn Bruce, John Shuttleworth, Nigel Ford, Simon Hanson and Julia Wakefield

Haibun Placegetters
Ist Place: Helen Davison
2nd Place: Nigel Ford

Highly Commended
Nigel Ford and Dianne Hill

HaikuOz would like to thank the Friendly Street Poets for running this competition and Martina Taekerher for judging it. We are also grateful for the support of the South Australian Government.

The winning and commended haiku can be read at http://friendlystreetpoets.org.au/

October 18, 2010

Ginko 19 Round Robin (spring)

Lake Ainsworth, Lennox Head
Thursday, 14 October 2010

Lake Ainsworth, at Lennox Head, is full to overflowing with freshwater, so that the trunks of the melaleucas continue on into the lake. Just over the road is the beach and the ocean. It was here that twelve Cloudcatchers gathered for our spring ginko on Thursday 14 October.

Across that dark, dark teatree-stained water, with the pale trunks of those magnificent trees arching over the mysterious depths, came a flotilla of canoes, multi-coloured and multi-voiced, emanating from the Youth Recreation Centre nearby. Add to that a turtle, a purple snail shell, a surf kite, a dog tied to a pram, bad banksia men and seagulls.

Haiku were created in abundance, and appreciated around the picnic table. The sun came out, and some of us lunched together afterwards at 'Ruby's' (Lennox Hotel), overlooking the surf. An email Round Robin, in full swing at the moment, perpetuates some of those marvellous images.

Our next ginko will be No.20, held at Brunswick Heads, late in January 2011, when we will explore the extraordinary splendours of the ordinary mangroves.

Quendryth Young

October 10, 2010

Tanka Appraisals

At the Bowerbird Tanka Group meeting on September 19, 2010 at Pearl Beach, presenters Kathy Kituai and Amelia Fielden, were joined by three delegates who each gave a brief talk on a favourite tanka written by someone whom they have never met.

To read these appraisals, which are attracting much interest and favourable comment, please visit www.eucalypt.info ; select Articles and then Bowerbird Tanka Group

Convenor: Beverley George
Editor: Eucalypt

The Red Dragonflies (akatombo) Spring Meeting October 9th, 2010

An overcast day did not lessen the conviviality of the ‘red dragonflies’ group when they gathered at the home of the group’s leader, Vanessa Proctor, to share spring haiku.

All members were present.

Poems on the pre-set topics of the energy of spring, gardening, and empty snail shell were workshopped. After lunch, two anonymous haiku per member were drawn from the haiku bowl for general discussion, before the authors admitted ownership.

the day before
The Red Dragonflies
red dragonfly

report by Beverley George

October 09, 2010

Memorial haiku page for Nicholas Barwell

Jan Bostok has suggested that we invite friends and admirers of Nicholas to send a haiku to Haiku Oz in memory of him. We would like to invite all who wish to contribute to this tribute page to please do so. Please forward haiku to [email protected]


landlocked
the surge of the sea
cradles his soul

Jan Bostok


visiting an old friend
as he reads his poems
birdsong

Vanessa Proctor


wind
always a friend
spirits him away

Robert Henry Poulin
Sebastian, Florida


twilight
the black swan settles
on the river

Cynthia Rowe


on the wind
a voice
I never heard

Jo McInerney


half heard
as the wave retreats ~
jazz band

Lynette Arden


lifting mist -
sunrise burns off
a dream

brett brady


a monsoon eve -
the last stray cloud
leaves the valley

Sunil Uniyal, New Delhi


spring song
hushed ~
your voice sings on

Dawn Colsey


poetry reading...
the words of the dead poet
so full of life

Nuri Rosegg
Norway


A selection of Nicholas Barwell's haiku can be found at http://www.riverguardians.com/Lists/River%20Tales/CustomDispForm.aspx?ID=2&Source;=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eriverguardians%2Ecom%2FLists%2FRiver%2520Tales%2FAllItems%2Easpx

October 06, 2010

Vale Nicholas Barwell

We have received the following notifications from Vanessa Proctor and Maureen Sexton of Nicholas Barwell's death. Each gives significant and slightly different information about Nicholas Barwell, his long life and valuable work, so we are publishing them both.
We extend to all his family and friends our deepest sympathy.

The haiku poet and enthusiast Nicholas Barwell passed away in hospital in Perth on the evening of Friday 1st October aged 91. Nicholas was born in Hereford, England, but spent the majority of his life in Perth. He described himself as ‘a retired ancient mariner’, his sense of humour ever present. He was passionate about poetry, cooking and jazz amongst many other things. Through his varied interests he became a dear friend to many and he loved to telephone his haiku friends near and far to talk poetry.
Nicholas was a kind and gentle man who touched the lives of many. In his own quiet way, he greatly furthered the cause of haiku, especially in Western Australia. It was hard not to be caught up in his enthusiasm and in Nicholas’ spirit we hope to continue his passion for haiku.

reverie
quiet snip of scissors
in the barber shop

Nicholas Barwell

~~~Vanessa Proctor

Nicholas Barwell was a generous, insightful man, with immense love for people and nature.

He was also a very widely published haiku writer in such places as the US, the UK, all over Australia and even in Siberia.

winter's wind
along the beach
the seagulls cry

Nicholas Barwell

He has been published in Heron’s Nest, Presence, Paper Wasp, Famous Reporter, Creatrix, Stylus, just to name a few. In WA, Nicholas helped found the Creatrix Journal Haiku Section, the Mari Warabiny Haiku Group, and encouraged and assisted many WA writers to further their skills in haiku writing. On Perth radio stations, he was known as the Haiku King.

His great enthusiasm for poetry, haiku, philosophy, spirituality, cooking (especially stir fries), gardening, music, jazz piano, backgammon, books (especially Allan Watts), calligraphy and art was infectious. He brightened the lives of many with his laughter, and the sharing of his life knowledge, haiku and his positive outlook.

widening circles
a berry drops
in silent waters

Nicholas Barwell

This sharing was done by phone and I’m sure many were thrilled by his phone calls and will miss his voice and laughter. He also shared his love for his wife Muriel, his children, grandchildren and his dog, Sam.

He will be sadly missed by all those who came into contact with him, but will remain in our hearts.

planting potatoes
turning the soil
I turn the world

Nicholas Barwell

~~~ Maureen Sexton

October 03, 2010

BINDII GINKO AT HIMEJI GARDENS 2 October 2010

Members Present: Lynette Arden, Marilyn Linn, Maeve Archibald, Margaret Fensom, Belinda Broughton, Athena Zaknic. Visitors: Jeff, Irvine.

The ginko began at 11.00 am. Then the group split up so people could take advantage of the beautiful weather and scenery to walk around the gardens taking notes and pictures or perch in a favoured spot on a rock or carved bench.

Some of the trees were in blossom and others beginning to show a hint of green. Ducks perched on rocks in the centre of the lake and the sound of water rushing, trickling or dropping could be heard from many vantage points. Dragonflies swung back and forth over the waterlilies in the central lake and the occasional bird (noisy miners and swallows) darted from tree to tree through the sunshine and shade and swooped over the lake. Waterlilies were beginning to flower and arum lilies were in full bloom.

After the ginko we assembled again in the teahouse at midday to eat a picnic lunch while contemplating the rocks and raked sand. We then wrote up and circulated some of our haiku or tanka for any helpful contributions of advice and comment.

From the comments of members present, I gather this was a very popular spot for our ginko on such a beautiful day. Himeji Gardens at a perfect moment.

after lunch
sharing the different flavours
of our haiku

Our next meeting will be held in the Box Factory on Sat 6 November at 10.30 am.

Lynette Arden