Jo McInerney has advised that, regretfully, she is not in a position to continue in her role as President of HaikuOz. Jo’s personal and family circumstances are such that she has had to step aside from her duties in recent times and, unfortunately, Jo has indicated that her situation is unlikely to change in the immediate future. The HaikuOz office bearers all wish Jo the very best for the future and would like to thank her for her past efforts as President of HaikuOz.

HaikuOz is in the fortunate position of having another capable and highly respected haiku poet who has agreed to take on the President’s role. Congratulations to Cynthia Rowe from Sydney who is the new President of HaikuOz.

Cynthia is a graduate of Melbourne University and has taught secondary and tertiary French and English in both Victoria and New South Wales. She has spent time in France and the French Territories and was awarded a Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française by the French Ministry of Education. She is a Writing Fellow of the Fellowship of Australian Writers NSW.

Cynthia is a novelist, short story writer and poet whose work has been published in Australia and overseas. She has been broadcast on National Community Radio. Her play ‘Not the Vice-Chancellor’ was performed in the Sydney Short and Sweet Festival 2008. She is a member of Red Dragonflies haiku group which workshops Japanese genre poetry. She is Immediate Past President, Eastern Suburbs Region Fellowship of Australian Writers NSW and Editor, Haiku Xpressions.