Australian haiku poet Jennifer Sutherland has been invited to act as a presenter at the Haiku North America Conference, which will be held between October 14-18, 2015, at Union College, Schenectady, in upstate New York.

In her presentation, Jennifer will focus on haiku groups and the benefits of participating co-operatively/ collaboratively in developing shared knowledge and skills in regard to haiku writing.

In doing so, she will draw upon her experience as secretary of the Red Kelpies haiku group in Victoria (as led by Lorin Ford) – Jennifer will also talk about other haiku groups she has taken part in online.

Conference leader Michael Dylan Welch advises that a range of other Australian haiku poets will be attending as well – along with our congratulations to Jennifer, thanks from the AHS likewise goes out in advance to Marietta McGregor, who has kindly agreed to write a report about HNA 2015 for posting on “HaikuOz”.

Beverley George advises that Australian tanka poet David Terelinck will also give a presentation at HNA 2015, on what is described as Tanka Sunday.

HNA 2015 organisers are members of the Route 9 Haiku Group, which publishes the biannual anthology, “Upstate Dim Sum”.

Among the organising group are John Stevenson and Tom Clausen, along with Hilary Tann and Yu Chang (both of whom teach at Union College), as detailed at this link:

http://www.haikunorthamerica.com/blog/haiku-north-america-2015-union-college-ny

Posted by Rodney Williams at 08:59 PM | Permalink

Poets are invited to participate in a haiku contest on the theme of blood donation that is being conducted in Croatia.

Entrants may submit up to three (3) haiku on this subject.

Entries should be included in the body of an email, to be sent to: [email protected]

Also included should be the poet’s name, email address and postal address.

Entry is free.

The closing date is 30 November, 2015.

Results will be announced in February, 2016.

On World Blood Donor Day – June 14, 2016 – prizes will be presented in person to those winners able to attend in Croatia.

Selected haiku will be printed in a bi-lingual collection published in both Croatian and English.

Chosen authors will receive a gift from the Croatian Institute for Transfusion Medicine, Zagreb.

D.V. Rozic

Posted by Rodney Williams at 02:41 PM | Permalink

Australian haiku poets have been strongly represented in the first digital anthology from “Wild Plum Haiku Journal”, called “Behind the Tree Line”.

Featuring 11 haiku written by 8 Australian haiku poets, “Behind the tree line” is a selection of 45 haiku chosen by Gabriel Sawicki from all poems published by the journal in 2015.

It can be accessed at this link:
https://wildplumhaiku.wordpress.com/2015/08/31/585/

In order of appearance, work by the following Australian haiku poets is featured in “Behind the Tree Line” – Simon Hanson, Quendryth Young and Myron Lysenko (each with two haiku selected); plus Duncan Richardson, Jade Pisani, Mark Miller, Marietta McGregor and Barbara A. Taylor (with Barbara also represented in the haiga section):

desert stones
slowly their shadows
change sides

- Simon Hanson

rusty leaves
my garden
falling down

- Quendryth Young

early autumn
tomatoes on the plant
still blushing

- Myron Lysenko

riverside café
reading
the flood levels

- Duncan Richardson

his anger
rose petals drop
over the fence

- Jade Pisani

summer storm
the brimming moon
in the cattle trough

- Mark Miller

one more book
for the jumble sale—
joy of sex

- Marietta McGregor

coming home
through cracked bridges
of my roots

- Barbara A. Taylor

wild wind
she asks me to take
Viagra

- Myron Lysenko

drab mudflat
a million scavenging
crabs

- Quendryth Young

just enough breeze
to move the curtain
moonlit waves

- Simon Hanson

Posted by Rodney Williams at 12:38 AM | Permalink

Australian editor Amelia Fielden will collaborate with Japanese poet Noriko Tanaka and Australia/ Japan poet Saeko Ogi, to compile a new bi-lingual anthology of haiku and tanka – on the theme of things one wears – to be published in 2016.

Submissions are welcome from Australians writing poems “to wear”, using Japanese-based short-forms, towards the Australian half of this joint book.

Submissions should be emailed to Amelia Fielden at [email protected]., following these guidelines:

Deadline: 30 November, 2015

Types of submissions acceptable: up to 6 haiku; or up to 6 tanka; or a mixture of the two, with no more than 6 pieces in total (but no sequences, haibun or tanka prose, please).

Theme: haiku and/ or tanka about things that people wear, including garments, footwear and accessories – hats, gloves, belts, jewellery, ribbons, make-up, umbrellas, etc.

New and previously published pieces are both acceptable, but poems that have already appeared elsewhere must be accompanied by citations giving full publication details.

Maximum number of pieces to be published per poet: two (2) poems (i.e. 2 haiku, or 2 tanka, or 1 haiku and 1 tanka).

Process already under way: Noriko Tanaka has gathered together a large number of Japanese poems on this overall subject, which Amelia Fielden and Saeko Ogi are currently in the process of translating.

(The three have collaborated previously on the collection “Music of the Heart”, which likewise presents work bilingually from both Australian and Japanese poets.)

Having already edited three other themed anthologies in her own right – “Food For Thought”, “The Melody Lingers On” and “All You Need Is Love” (all of them most successful) – Amelia is looking forward to receiving interesting submissions towards “Poems to Wear”!

Posted by Rodney Williams at 11:09 PM | Permalink

Theme for Bribie Island Ginko: How observing details and writing haiku improves your craft

Location: Bribie Island Library, Moreton Bay

Address: 1 Welsby Parade, Bongaree

Ginko leader: Matt Hetherington

Date: Saturday, October 17

Time: 10.30 a.m – 4.30 p.m.

Bookings are essential for this seminar (with numbers strictly limited), but participation is free: places can be booked through -

https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/general.aspx?id=113250

Ginko presented by: Write Around Moreton Bay

Notes from the Moreton Bay Regional Council’s website (under a heading of Write Around Moreton Bay writers seminars):

“A 'ginko' is a Japanese word for a walk in a natural environment in which one writes poetry. Join poet, editor and educator Matt Hetherington as he takes you on a stroll around Bribie Island, showing you how observing details and writing the short-form poetry called ‘haiku’ can improve your craft. Whatever genre you write in, you will gain insight into the power of noticing what is most closely around you, and how the smallest things are often the most telling.”

Further information can also be gained through accessing the following link:

http://www.qwc.asn.au/events/workshops-masterclasses/workshops/ginko/

This opportunity is presented in partnership with Queensland Writers Centre.

Bio note:

Matt Hetherington has been writing poetry and haiku for over 25 years, and has been an editor and teacher of creative writing and editor for over a decade. He has published three collections of poetry, and his work has been widely anthologised. He was co-editor of the Australian section of the first "World Haiku Anthology", and has worked for the Australian Haiku Society for the last 15 years.

Posted by Rodney Williams at 09:44 PM | Permalink

Haiku Walk: Canning River Ginko 2015 will be brought to you by the Mari Warabiny Haiku Group (West Australia).

Date: Saturday, 10th October

Time: 10.30am till approximately 1.30 p.m.

Venue: Canning River Eco Education Centre, Samphire Room

Address: Corner of Kent St and Queens Park Rd, Wilson (walking distance from Albany Highway).

RSVP: Please reply by email to [email protected]

or on auhttps://www.facebook.com/events/1522035881420431/ Administrators

BYO: Paper and pens, drinks and lunch (with a possibility of sharing in a picnic).

Alternative catering: Or participants might wish to enjoy lunch at the Canning River Café.

Cost: A small donation towards the cost of hiring the venue (potentially $3 –$5).

Note: 'Mari Warabiny' are Nyungar words meaning 'billowing clouds'.

All welcome!

Maureen Sexton and Tash Adams

Mari Warabiny Haiku Group

Posted by Rodney Williams at 08:49 PM | Permalink

Bindii Japanese Genres Poetry Group sponsored the four prizes awarded in this first year of the haiku competition. Ten schools from around South Australia participated. Fourteen teachers used the curriculum material provided by Bindii to the Langhorne Creek Festival organizers to teach haiku.

With an average class size of thirty, around 420 students were taught haiku by the Langhorne Creek Writers’ Festival. In each school the three best haiku from each grade category were entered. There were 26 entries. In addition to the four First Prize Winners, there were 10 commended poems.
In their report the judges (Lynette Arden and Lee Bentley from Bindii) commented: ‘the winning haiku in each of the categories were chosen because they have strong clear images with emotional impact and good haiku structure with two distinct parts to each poem. Among the other entries it was pleasing to see that the students have really looked at using concrete imagery in their haiku.’
At the award presentation, the winners were recognized with a certificate, the First Prize Winners won $50 and a basket of books for their school library.
All sixteen participating schools attended the Literacy Day at Langhorne Creek School on 14 September. Over 70 students attended.

http://haiku-bindii.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/langhorne-creek-writers-festival-young.html

Posted by Lynette Arden at 06:53 PM | Permalink

Congratulations to South Australian Simon Hanson for winning first prize in the Autumn 2015 edition of the European Quarterly Kukai.

sardine catch
the flicker of moonlight
on the sand

158 authors from 37 countries participated.

http://europeankukai.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/results-of-european-quarterly-kukai-11.html

Simon's haiku was awarded 58 points from participants in the following countries: CAN, BRA, BUL, POL, BUL, GER, GER, UK, UK, AUS, BIH ,AUS - UK, LIT, IND, SUI, IND, AUS, ITA, SUI, BIH, USA - PORT, IND)

The following comments on the competition were made by the organizers: The beginning of autumn is the period when a significant group of authors is on holiday. Despite this in 11th edition of the competition participated 158 people from 37 countries. Topic - food - is not easy. But most participants have sent good and even brilliant haiku. Haiku of the first three places were at the forefront from the beginning of the vote. First place was won by Simon Hanson of Australia. Second place went to Marion Clarke from Northern Ireland. Third place went to debutante in our competition Vandana Parashar from India.

Posted by Lynette Arden at 12:13 PM | Permalink

For Red Kelpies’ spring meeting, on September 13th, it was back to our ‘home base’ in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens and again we were lucky with the weather: fine with a warm breeze from the North.

Blue irises were out, azaleas blossomed in colourful banks; the large, white variety was the one that scented the pathway with a truly beautiful perfume. Shrub-sized prunus blossoms in a gaudy pink shouted at the subtler ranks of hellebores. Wild Elders from Africa waved their cloudy canopies of blossom. The eels, in large numbers, writhed along sleepily in the shallows of the lake and the little Black Ducks paddled over them, unfazed.

People taking the punt tours looked picturesque under the white paper umbrellas supplied to them.

Everything seemed to be basking luxuriously in the welcome sunshine. Spring at last, after a particularly cold, miserable winter!

Janet Howie had suggested our discussion topic during the follow-up to our winter meeting: ‘How do one-line haiku work?’ Everyone present had done their homework of reading a couple of essays on one-liners and finding examples to share and comment on. It was a lively discussion!

We found that, while some writers (such as Marlene Mountain and Janice M. Bostok ) had written much of their work in one-line form as an alternative style to the 3-line norm, the haiku that worked best for us were those that couldn’t achieve the same meaning/s and effect just as well over 3 lines.

The use of line breaks or the choice not to use line breaks can (and arguably, should) result in EL haiku that have different effects. Knowing this, we have choices to make each time we write or revise a haiku.

As usual, after the discussion we had lunch and each went their own way for the silent ‘ginko’, returning to share our draft haiku or notes. The next step, over the next couple of weeks, is the writing up of haiku from the day and submitting them for c & c from the group.

Our next meeting will be in the Botanic Gardens on December 13th. Enquiries from haiku writers who might like to join the group or be invited along as guests and who have at least three haiku published in edited, English-language haiku journals should be directed to Lorin Ford via haikugourds at gmail dot com, with ‘Red Kelpie Haiku Group’ in the email subject bar.

Lorin Ford, Melbourne, September 2015

Posted by Rodney Williams at 06:59 PM | Permalink

The Red Dragonflies Haiku group met on Saturday, 12th September at 11.30 am at member Lesley Walter's home for their 2015 spring gathering. Cynthia Rowe, Dawn Bruce, Vanessa Proctor and Barbara Fisher were present. Apology from Beverley George, whose husband is ill. As usual there were some challenging exercises set by convenor Vanessa, which stimulated many fresh and interesting responses, and included much discussion and laughter. The meeting concluded at 2.30 pm.

Barbara Fisher

Posted by Cynthia Rowe at 02:37 PM | Permalink

Congratulations to Simon Hanson for winning second prize in the 2015 Creatrix Haiku Prize, for the following haiku:

ravens
ah! even darker
at night

Competition judge Matt Hetherington made the following comments:

“… the second prize winner by Simon Hanson resonated with me for its starkness and dark joy. Like many others, it had a deep truthfulness hidden behind apparent simplicity.”

The following haiku by another Australian poet – Helen Taylor – was listed as Commended in the same contest:

hair across her face
she turns
into the wind

The 2015 Creatrix Haiku Prize was selected from Issue 26 to Issue 29 of the Creatrix Poetry and Haiku Journal.

Full results can be viewed through this link:

http://creatrix.wapoets.net.au/poetry-prize/

Posted by Rodney Williams at 10:05 PM | Permalink

It’s the first day of spring in Melbourne. Blossoms are blooming, peas and broad beans are shooting up and the snails are leaving ample evidence that they’ve come out of hibernation. In North America, the bushfire/wildfire season is waning and the milder days of autumn approaching. The world still turns.

Welcome to the 16th issue of “A Hundred Gourds”, a quarterly journal of haiku, haibun, haiga, tanka and renku poetry is now online for your reading pleasure.

www.ahundredgourds.com

AHG 4.4 Feature

The Second International Haiku Conference in Krakow, Poland (May 15-17, 2015)

We’re privileged to visit Poland via Brian Robertson’s report on the Second International Haiku Conference in Krakow, which was held in May this year. Both Brian’s text and the accompanying photos convey, to those of us who couldn’t be there, a sense of the friendliness, enthusiasm and expertise that was shared. Congratulations to all who were involved in this clearly very successful event!

Expositions

Terry Ann Carter’s essay, Chiyo-ni and “Aisatsu: The Poetry of Greeting”, demonstrates, with her selections of Chiyo-ni’s haiku and contemporary EL haiku, a time-honoured social function of Japanese haiku.

Rob Scott reviews Robert Kania’s “39 haiku”, Susan Constable reviews Joy McCall’s “rising mist, fieldstones” and Lorin Ford reviews Cherie Hunter Day’s “apology moon”.

“A Hundred Gourds” is still looking for a suitable editor for our Expositions section. Please direct any enquiries regarding the Expositions section and submit your book reviews, essays or commentaries on individual poems for AHG to me, Lorin, until further notice.

Submissions Deadline

The deadline for all submissions to AHG 5.1 (the December 2015 issue) is September 15th. AHG has an open submissions policy: any submissions received after the deadline will be filed for consideration for the March 2016 issue. Please check our submissions page for details and editors’ guidelines.

Please take the time to read the AHG submissions page, including the editors’ individual comments, and ensure that your submission complies with all requirements.

Lorin Ford – Haiku Editor, Managing Editor,
for the Editorial Team, “A Hundred Gourds”

Posted by Rodney Williams at 09:30 PM | Permalink

The following items were posted on the HaikuOz website during August, 2015, and can be accessed at www.haikuoz.org/

Polish International Haiku Competition 2015
Entries open for 8th “Kokako” Haiku & Senryu Contest
NZPS 2015 International Poetry Competition Results
Deadline close for 19th Mainichi Haiku Contest

While we remain committed to sending a group email containing the above information to all AHS members – on the first day of each month – technical difficulties continue to be experienced on a website-based level with this circulation process. Apologies are extended to any members who have not been receiving such emailed notifications. Efforts continue to be made to rectify this problem.

Meanwhile, members of the Australian Haiku Society – and other readers of HaikuOz – are reminded that you are most welcome to submit items relevant to the haiku community, both here and overseas, especially in relation to:

• haiku competitions and opportunities for publication in Australia and beyond;
• news of success in haiku writing enjoyed by Australian haiku poets;
• reports about meetings of haiku groups in various states/ territories across this country; and
• noteworthy developments/ projects/ points of interest across the international haiku community.

Best wishes,

Rodney Williams

Secretary
Australian Haiku Society

www.haikuoz.org
[email protected]

Posted by Rodney Williams at 09:01 PM | Permalink