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December 24, 2011

Congratulations to Dr Sharon Dean

Huge congratulations to Dr Sharon Dean, who has had the degree of Doctor of Philosophy conferred upon her by the Griffith University QLD. Her thesis was entitled 'White Heron: The Authorised Biography of Australian Pioneering Haiku Writer, Janice Bostok.'

Sharon was present at the time of the formation of Cloudcatchers, in December 2005, where she had conversation with Janice Bostok. You will recall that Janice, our Patron, died in September this year. Sharon has maintained a passionate interest in all Cloudcatchers, and their activities and successes, though her work situation has prevented her from attending ginko recently. She has been congratulated by the Dean of the Griffith Graduate Research School on her outstanding achievement and the significance of her work and its contribution to the field of research.

Sharon won the Haiku Dreaming Australia Competition in 2009. And it was a haiku of Sharon's that was the only one chosen to illustrate the genre in the review of the 'Third Australian Haiku Anthology' which appeared in 'Spectrum' (Sydney Morning Herald) last Saturday. We are fortunate and privileged to number her as one of us.

Quendryth Young
Cloudcatchers Coordinator

December 21, 2011

The Third Australian Haiku Anthology Review

The Third Australian Haiku Anthology (paperwasp:2011), featuring 70 haiku poets, has been warmly and sensitively reviewed in the Sydney Morning Herald (17-18 December, 2011) - for which we are extremely grateful. This development again reinforces the strength, vitality and maturity of the form in this nation. Significantly, a review in the SMH testifies to the quality of haiku being written in Australia today and places haiku in the mainstream of Australian poetic endeavour. It is a delightful note on which to round out the year and here's wishing everyone a happy and successful 2012.

Jacqui Murray

December 13, 2011

World Haiku Review online: December 2011 Issue

The World Haiku Club is pleased to announce that the December 2011 Issue of World Haiku Review is now online. Click on http://sites.google.com/site/worldhaikureview2/home

Rohini Gupta, our Technical Editor, is continuing her noble and arduous task of retrieving and rescuing poems, articles, treatises, reports, contributions etc. of the past World Haiku Review issues 2001 - 2007, which got tragically lost in mysterious circumstances. Her first effort is focused on saving, recovering and rescuing only. She will then gradually sort them out and give them shape. If you happen to come across any of these invaluable items of the past WHR issues, by all means please let us know.

The following poets, please take a look at this new issue to find your poems among the best 10s: aju mukhopadhyay, Susan Constable, Carmel Lively Westerman, Patricia Prime, Priscila H. Lignori, Marie Shimane, Peggy Heinrich, Anita Virgil, André Surridge, Cynthia Rowe, Marje A. Dyck, Marilyn Potter, Kai Falkman, Bruce R. Boynton, Feu Violet, CaroleAnn Lovin, LeRoy Gorman, Lucille Raizada, Owen Bullock

We do hope that you will enjoy this issue of World Haiku Review.

Kengin,

Susumu Takiguchi
Managing Editor & Acting Editor-in-Chief, World Haiku Review
Chairman, The World Haiku Club

Kala Ramesh
Deputy Editor-in-Chief, World Haiku Review
Rohini Gupta
Technical Editor, World Haiku Review

December 09, 2011

Results of Kokako Haiku Competition

Congratulations to Sandra Simpson from Tauranga, New Zealand, on winning first and third prize in the Kokako Haiku Competition. Well done, also to Janette Hoppe and Jan Dobb for their Highly Commended entries.

1st Prize

pulling down the blinds
at 11 am
your lips on my eyelids

Sandra Simpson (NZ)


2nd Prize

sepia sedges
along the river bank
glint of a rod

Claire Knight (UK)


3rd Prize

our parting words the gorse in full flower

Sandra Simpson (NZ)


Highly Commended

homeless shelter
their worn out
welcome mat

Ernest J. Berry (NZ)

my wine glass
empty
this flightless evening

Janette Hoppe (AUS)

blue
the sky falls to pieces
in a gumtree

Jan Dobb (AUS)


Commended

footbridge
the medium says
she’s happy

Roland Packer (CAN)

fresh sawdust
in the butcher’s shop –
my sister kicks it

Sandra Simpson (NZ)

weekend children
picking onion flowers
for their step-mom

Andre Surridge (NZ)


Special Mention

‘stretch limo . . . “ E. J. Berry (NZ)
‘low tide” Cynthia Rowe (AUS)
‘train journey – ‘ Beverley George (AUS)
‘still no one’. Beverley George (AUS)
‘flecks of mud’. Rodney Williams (AUS)

December 08, 2011

FreeXpresSion Haiku Competition – 2012

The FreeXpresSion haiku competition closes on 28 February 2012. First prize is $100 for the best single haiku. A copy of the entry form can be found below.

FreeXpresSion - 2012 Literary Competition

A. Short Story: Open Theme up to 2,500 words
B. Traditional Rhyming Poetry: Open Theme up to 120 lines
C. Free Verse: Open Theme up to 120 lines
1st prize $250.00 ~ 2nd Prize $100.00 in both A, B & C categories
D. Article/Essay: Open Theme 1,500 to 2,000 words
E. Haiku: Open Theme. One page of four represents 1 entry
1st prize $100.00 (D & E) for the best article/essay and for the best single haiku,
HC and Commended Certificates will also be awarded in all categories if warranted


Closing Date 28 February 2012

 Entries should be submitted in English, using one side of A4 paper, typed double spaced, using generous margins.
 No names or addresses to appear on manuscripts. Such entries will be disqualified. Author’s name and address must be on the signed Entry Form only. The Entry Form may be photocopied. The Title (only) of entry should appear on each page of the manuscript.
 Entries must be the original work of the entrant and must not have won a cash prize in any other competition, nor been published prior to the closing date.
 Entry fee $5.00 per entry ($25 for 6 entries) and cheques etc should be made payable to FreeXpresSion. Multiple entries may be paid with one cheque or money order.
 Copyright remains with the author; however, FreeXpresSion will publish the winning Haiku entry and all placed entries in the magazine and would like the opportunity to publish suitable entries from the other categories in the FreeXpresSion Magazine and in any subsequent anthology, subject to the author’s express permission.
 Results will be published in the May issue of FreeXpresSion.
 Entries will not be returned and will be destroyed after the announcement of results; so please keep copies for your records.
 The judges’ decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. Please include a SSAE with your entry if you require the Results and Judges’ comments.
 Submission of an entry in this competition will be deemed to be an acceptance of and agreement to these conditions. Entries failing to meet these conditions will not be judged and entry fees will not be returned.
 Overseas entrants can use PayPal to lodge entry fee using email address [email protected]

2012 Entry Form

Please fill in the areas below and mail this Entry Form together with your manuscript(s) and cheque/money order to:
FreeXpresSion, PO Box 4, West Hoxton, NSW 2171

Name(Please Print)

……………………………………………………………………..Signature………………….

Address…………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………State………………..P/Code………..


No. of Entries…………………. Enclosed please find my cheque/money order for the sum of

$……… or I have arranged payment direct using Paypal tick box.


Please indicate the category in the first column with the title of the entry in the second column.

Category/Title

1…………………………………………………………………………………………………

2…………………………………………………………………………………………………

3…………………………………………………………………………………………………

4…………………………………………………………………………………………………

5…………………………………………………………………………………………………

6…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Entry Fee $5 per entry or $25 for six entries This entry form can be photocopied. Thank you for your support

December 02, 2011

Fujisan Haiku Competition

The Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, is conducting an international haiku competition in support of their goal to have Fujisan (Mt Fuji) declared a World Cultural Heritage Site. The haiku are to be composed on the topic of Fujisan and are to be submitted by 20 January 2012.

Details regarding the haiku competition, including entry forms, are available at:

http://www.fujisan-3776.jp/haiku.english.htm

Further background and a Fujisan photo gallery are available at:

http://www.fujisan-3776.jp/english/

December 01, 2011

A Hundred Gourds now Online

A Hundred Gourds 1:1 is now online---

The first issue of A Hundred Gourds: a quarterly journal of haiku, haibun, haiga and tanka poetry is now online.

http://ahundredgourds.com

The Editorial Team of A Hundred Gourds extends warmest thanks to everyone who submitted their work for consideration for this, our inaugural issue. Thanks to your enthusiastic welcome, it’s a bumper edition.

As well as haiku, tanka, haiga and haibun you’ll find essays, interviews and a review in the Expositions section.

There is also a memorial Feature dedicated to the late Janice M. Bostok, Australia’s haiku pioneer.

Please join us in welcoming three new editors to the AHG team:
• William Sorlien, of St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, is Renku Editor, already organising A Hundred Gourds’ first renku section, which will be published in AHG 1:2.
• Susan Constable, of Vancouver Island, Canada, is the new Tanka Editor. Susan’s first tanka section will be published in AHG 1:2.
• Mike Montreuil, of Ontario, Canada, is the new Haibun Editor. Mike’s first haibun section will be published in AHG 1:3.

A Hundred Gourds welcomes your submissions to the New Years’ editions.

• Special notice for tanka & renku submissions to AHG 1:2 & 1:3

The submission period for tanka and renku only has been extended for the March issue, AHG 1:2. Submissions of tanka and renku received up to the 31st December will be considered for AHG 1:2. Tanka and renku submissions received between January 1st and March 15th will be considered for AHG 1:3. Please read the submissions guidelines page on the AHG website for further details.
The deadline for haiku, haibun, haiga and for the Expositions section of AHG 1:2 remains at December the 15th.

Lorin Ford, haiku editor,
for the Editorial Team
A Hundred Gourds