The eight winning eChapbooks of Snapshot Press’s 2011 eChapbook competition are now published and may be read in both pdf or Flash format.
http://www.snapshotpress.co.uk/ebooks.htm
Congratulations to Lorin Ford and Vanessa Proctor. Lorin Ford’s ‘A Few Quick Brushstrokes’ and Vanessa Proctor’s ‘Jacaranda Baby’ are the two Australian winners.
Bindii Ginko Saturday August 4th 2012
For our August meeting, Bindii members attended a ginko at the Art Gallery. Some sought inspiration at a special exhibition, while others wandered through the art works, and into the sights and sounds of North Terrace.
This was followed by afternoon tea at the Museum Cafe next door, where we shared our discoveries and musings. Although not all had poetry to share, it was agreed that a ginko provides a focal point for the creative process. As a result, I’m sure many poems have since been written.
Lee Bentley
The results of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival’s annual haiku invitational have been announced and are available at:
http://www.vcbf.ca/haiku/2012-winning-haiku
Each year the Festival organisers do a wonderful job in making haiku an important part of the celebrations. This year, Australia’s own Beverley George was invited to judge all five sections of the competition.
Australian poets were among the successful entrants with David Terelinck winning first prize in the international section and Glen Fletcher and Quendryth Young receiving Sakura Awards.
Congratulations to Nathalie Buckland for being awarded Fifth Place in the New Zealand Poetry Society 2012 International Poetry Competition, Haiku Section, with the following haiku:
morning glory
clings to the tea tree -
his new girlfriend
Also Commended
'one or two bruises' Greg Piko, Australia
'home late' Cynthia Rowe, Australia
To those of you who were not so successful, your haiku still have another chance - the second copy of your work is currently being selected for publishing in the annual anthology. You may not submit your haiku elsewhere until 31st August.
On Saturday 28th July the Red Dragonflies met at Lesley Walter's home for a very enjoyable and entertaining meeting which was fuelled by Lesley's delicious chocolate cake with cream and berries. All six members were present.
We discussed haiku we'd written as a result of the preset exercises. Our haiku were on the subject of pens, birds and wool, the latter generating much discussion on sheep and shearing practises and led some of us to reminisce about our farming days. We also workshopped haiku anonymously and discussed context in haiku as well as how far it is possible to push 'rules' and expectations of haiku. We resolved to have a renku party at our next meeting in September.
Vanessa Proctor
Torakina Park, Brunswick Heads, NSW.
Thursday August 9th 2012
Ten of us gathered at Torakina Park, one of our favourite meeting places. Sadly Quendryth, who organises and has always introduced these events, was unable to be with us due to illness in her family. She was greatly missed.
We greeted old friends and newer members, chatting in the familiar environment before dispersing with our notebooks into the park.
This winter day started out overcast, but soon the sky cleared to mackerel cloud and glimpses of sun, and it was delightful to walk through the mild and windless air, observing signs of the coming spring in wattle and tea tree blossom, and the sound of bees in the banksias. Two plovers were fiercely guarding their three tiny chicks, and a buff banded rail came almost to our feet, scavenging for crumbs.
After some intense concentration around the picnic table, first-draft haiku were read out by everyone in turn, after which we walked across the river, over the old timber bridge which had featured in several haiku, to the Brunswick pub for lunch.
A spring ginko is tentatively planned for Thursday 8th November at Southern Cross Park, Ballina. Contact: [email protected]
Entries close 15 September 2012.
The life and work of Australia’s greatest haiku poet, the late Janice M Bostok, is being celebrated with a significant new haiku award offering a First Prize of $350, a Second Prize of $100 and a Third Prize of $50.
This new award is international in scope – in keeping with Janice’s recognition as a truly international haiku poet and as a fitting memorial to her many decades of dedication to promoting not only the development of an Australian haiku voice but also her work on behalf of English language haiku as a global art form.
The judging panel will be led by multi-award winning haiku poet Jim Kacian, founder of The Haiku Foundation, and Australian Haiku Society president Cynthia Rowe.
An award anthology will be published by the award’s sponsor, paper wasp, of which Janice Bostok was a member for 20 years. The anthology will be lodged with various Australian state libraries, the National Library in Canberra and with the Tokyo library of the Museum of Haiku Literature in Japan to ensure a permanent record is retained for posterity.
The closing date for entries is 15 September 2012 and results will be announced in December 2012. The contest anthology will also be published in December.
First prize is Aust$350. The winner will also receive a limited edition unframed print of an original artwork by Janice M Bostok. The runner-up will receive Aust$100 Second Prize and Aust$50 will be awarded as Third Prize.
All entries must be in the haiku form in English and be the original, unpublished work of the author.
An entry fee of Aust$10.00 (from within Australia and New Zealand, if paid in banknotes or cheques drawn on an Australian bank in Australia) or US$12.00 (international entries) applies to each sheet of three haiku submitted for judging.
Australian residents can submit their entries by email after paying the appropriate entry fee by bank transfer to paper wasp. Email entries must be submitted as two separate file attachments – one with the entrant’s haiku entry/entries and full details (Name/address/email) and the second attachment with the haiku entry/entries only. Email entries will be accepted from Australian residents only after providing details of the bank transfer of appropriate entry fee/fees.
The address for email entries and details about bank transfers is:
[email protected]
Each entry of three haiku must be clearly marked on the back of the sheet or card with the entrant's full name, address, including country and postal/zip code and email address, if available, and any preferred pen name for use if selected for publication.
Please send your entries to Katherine Samuelowicz, paper wasp, 14 Fig Tree Pocket Road, Chapel Hill, Queensland 4069, Australia.
Judging is double blind. The judges' decision is final, no correspondence will be entered into and entries will not be returned.