Nicholas Barwell
retired ancient mariner, home port Applecross WA, likes cooking stir fries for his family, and enjoys the company of Sam, a cardigan corgi cross. Nicholas plays jazz piano, writes letters and talks on the phone to excess, loves backgammon, and reads Alan Watts forever.
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Alma Bird
lives at Ocean Shores on the east coast of NSW. She began writing and reading haiku as an octogenarian and enjoys haiku's direct connection to the natural world which Alma has enjoyed all her life.
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John Bird
is a right-handed poet from the east coast of Australia
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Kirsten Bishop
is a young writer living in Melbourne. One of her short stories,
The Art of Dying, was included in 'The Year's Best Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy, Vol.2' anthology, and she is currently working on a novel and other short stories. She writes haiku occasionally, and is trying to learn Japanese.
We discovered Kirsten's haiku via her Scifaiku site: http://www.nemoria.dropbear.id.au/scifaiku/ .......Ed
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Janice M. Bostok,
born in 1942, now lives near Murwillumbah, NSW. Her haiku and other work is widely published and respected in the English-speaking world and in Japanese haiku circles. She edited and published Australia's first haiku magazine,
Tweed. She is co-editor of
Paper Wasp and haiku editor of
Hobo. Janice judges haiku contests and frequently collaborates with New Zealand poets.
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Andrew Burke,
born in Melbourne, 1944, now lives in Perth. He has had haiku published in USA, New Zealand and Australia. He is a mainstream poet with four collections, plus short stories, articles and teledocumentaries produced and published.
He teaches Creative Writing to feed the writer-within.
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Ross Clark,
has published 6 volumes of poetry and 2 of haiku (
Local Seasonings: a haiku journal [1993] and
At the Turn of the Seasons: a haiku journal [1999], both from SweetWater Press, Brisbane.) He is a founding editor of
paper wasp haiku journal.
In pursuit of his poetry / pursued by his poetry, Ross has toured parts of Outback Queensland, Texas (USA), and Japan.
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MTC Cronin,
has had four books of poetry published:
Zoetrope - we see us moving (Aust., 1995),
the world beyond the fig (Aust., 1998),
Everything Holy (USA, 1998), and
Mischief Birds, (1999). A fifth collection -
Bestseller - is forthcoming in 2000. She has received numerous honours and awards in Australia. UK and USA. These include the Gwen Harwood Memorial Poetry Prize in 1997.
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Pauline Cash Cumming,
is a retired physiotherapist, born in Melbourne, now living in Sydney. She writes other forms of poetry and childrens' stories and is very interested in Japanese culture but finds writing haiku especially challenging.
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Denise Davis,
New Zealand born, has lived in Sydney as a journalist/PR consultant since
the 1970s, generating stories for TV, radio, and print media throughout
Australia. Currently she is making a documentary for television about her
Moriori ancestry. It includes poetry. She favours haiku for its immediacy
and ability to capture in few words what photo-journalist Henri
Cartier-Bresson revealed as, �the decisive moment.�
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Joan Davis.
Poetry is Joan's first interest, with current focus on haiku forms, also short fiction and sketches. Her poems, haiku, short stories, articles, reviews & translations have appeared in many journals and anthologies. Literary interests include Southeast Asian myths and culture and modern Indonesian poetry, and mid-twentieth Australian writing. She co-edited
Di Serambi (On The Verandah) - A Bilingual Anthology of Modern Indonesian Poetry.
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Brett Dionysius,
Brett Dionysius is a poet and Director of the
Subverse: Queensland Poetry Festival. He is enrolled in an MA (Creative Writing) degree at University of Queensland and tutors at Griffith University and Brisbane Grammar School. In 1997, he was awarded a grant to write a collection of poetry,
Bacchanalia. In 1998, he received the Harri Jones Memorial Prize. He was recently appointed editor of the
QWC News Magazine.
[ Brett's haiku are taken from the "Boondall Cycle" suite of poems which is published on the Boondall Wetland pages of the Brisbane City Council Community Website:
http://www.stories.powerup.com.au/core/contents/contents_frames.htm
The Boondall Cycle is dedicated to the Undumbi clan of the Turrbul people............... j bird, editor]
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Anne Fairbairn,
is a widely published Australian poet, artist and journalist. In 1998 she was awarded one of Australia's highest honours when made a member of the Order of Australia (AM) - for services to literature as a poet and to international relations, particularly between Australia and the Middle East. Since 1980 she has been involved in building a Bridge of Poems between Australia and the Arab world. She has won numerous awards and honours for literature in Australia and abroad. Her many publications include Shadows of our Dreaming (Angus and Robertson 1983), a celebration of early Australia with haiku-like poems set beside her evocative black and white drawings. In 1999 Fairbairn was contracted by the Australian government to compile a volume of poetry to celebrate the Centenary of Federation of Australia. The examples of her haiku in this Anthology are taken from her recent compilation, Djuringa Haiku.
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Amelia Fielden,
has a day job as a Japanese translator. A third generation Australian, born 12 days after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, Amelia studied four languages for her degree from the Australian National University. Her writing is influenced by her passion for Japan and her many years of interaction with that country and its people.
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Katherine Gallagher,
from Eastville near Bendigo, Victoria, has lived in London for many years. Her poetry publications include: Passengers to the City (Hale & Iremonger, 1985) and Fish-rings on Water (Forest Books, 1989),
her recently-published "Tigers on the Silk Road" (Arc Publications, 2000); & her book of haiku: Shifts (Hub Editions, UK, 1997). Katherine says,
'Writing haiku means a lot to me - it is at the heart of discovery. Haiku can make up a diary - the shine on the moment. I've been a member of the British Haiku Society since it started and enjoy the exchange of haiku and ideas in Blithe Spirit, alongside participation in special haiku activities.
I'm delighted to see the Australian Haiku Society taking off so
successfully. This is great for haiku and for poetry in general.'
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Kevin Gillam,
is a West Australian writer of poetry and short fiction. He has had work appear in numerous Australian poetry journals and is currently working on his first anthology. He is employed as a secondary school music teacher, orchestra conducter and free-lance cellist.
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Ron Heard,
lives in Brisbane's West End /Highgate area. He has done much applied writing, including co-authoring the first Australian guide to the Internet and editing "Queensland Cyclist". He is currently reorganising his life so he can spend more time with his disabled son, and writing poetry and haiku.
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Andy Hede,
lives in Buderim (Queensland). He teaches management by day and writes poetry during his sleepless nights. On weekends he enjoys bushwalking and art.
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Matt Hetherington
is a poet, aphorist and musician living in Northcote, Melbourne. Inspired by writers such as Maurice Blanchot, Emily Dickinson, Joseph Joubert Jellaladin Rumi, and others, as well as other mystics and musicians from North Africa and the East. Email: [email protected]
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Stephen Hobson
was one of the first three Australian Haiku Poet to join together and write a completely Australian Renga. The verses were written in sequence by Janice M. Bostok, John Turner, and Stephen Hobson. To our knowledge this renga was the first one written and published by Australian Haiku Poets. It was published in Brussels Sprout, Vol.VI: No. 2 May 1994, USA.
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Joy Hutton
A Tasmanian, she has been involved in creative pursuits from an early age. 1st creative pursuit --- teenage writer; prizes, published. 2nd creative pursuit --- three children. 3rd creative pursuit --- painter, professional printmaker, etc. Now --- write, mainly poetry, and spend much time creating artists' books.
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Greg Jemsek
is a recent immigrant to Hobart from New Zealand and,
before that, the U.S. His arrival in the natural beauty of Tasmania has
coincided with a newly discovered interest in haiku
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Bob Jones
is a poet, novelist and essayist who has had a number of books published. He holds a doctor's degree in Comparative Literature. His haiku and haiku commentaries have appeared in several countries including Romania and Japan. His long study Haiku Nature was published over six years in Modern Haiku. He lives in Northern Queensland where he teaches aikido and studies Japanese swordfighting (iai).
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Joan Kerr
lives in Geelong, Victoria, works as a Speech Therapist, and has had poems published in a number of Australian literary journals over the past 3 years.
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John Knight
John Knight's work has been published widely in journals and anthologies in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and America. He is co-editor of Paper Wasp: a journal of haiku, and co-author of Wattle Winds: an Australian haiku journey, and poetry and review editor of the journal Social Alternatives. In a previous life he was an Associate Professor in The Graduate School of Education, The University of Queensland.
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Andrew Lansdown
is the author of twelve books. His poetry, stories and essays have been published in over seventy magazines and newspapers, and are represented in over fifty anthologies. Andrew's collection of poetry, Between Glances (William Heinemann Australia 1993), won the Adelaide Arts Festival prestigious John Bray National Poetry Award in 1994. His fantasy novel, With My Knife (Omnibus Books, 1992) was shortlisted in 1994 for the National Children's Book Award.
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Diana Levy
has had her poetry, short stories and haiku published in
Australia, U.S. and Japan. She lives in the Blue Mountains, N.S.W., where
she runs About Face Masks, a company dedicated to the revival of mask
performance.
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Rosanna Licari
who is also known as rosanna l, was born in Europe and brought up in Australia. She is a Brisbane-based haiku writer and poet. Currently teaches English to overseas students and in the past has taught migrants. Her interests include reiki, tai chi and travelling.
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Dhugal J. Lindsay
was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1971. He is currently working in Yokohama, Japan, at the Japan Marine Science and Technology Center using submersibles to research the ecology and behaviour of deep sea organisms. He first began writing haiku, in Japanese, in 1991 and is active in several haiku groups in Japan, including Fuyoh/Rose Mallow and Kaitei.
[Because his haiku shown here are translations, the original Japanese is also shown. ...JB (Ed)]
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Robin Loftus
is not a haiku -- rather an on-going, long, unfinished free form poem. She lives and writes above the shifting light of the Pacific Ocean. She has just dispatched her secondary poetry manuscript and is waiting. Her first volume, published by Nimrod Publications in 1992, was called "Flying Fish".
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J. W. (Jim) McMillan
was born in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, in 1928 and grew up and was educated in that city. After graduating in medicine, he spent over 20 years in missionary service in India and then with his family returned to Adelaide. He is in general practice in suburban Adelaide, and active in Christian work. He is married to Doreen and they have four grown-up children.
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Garth Madsen
worked as a miner, a fettler, a brewery worker, a baker's assistant and a teacher before starting to write seriously in 1990. He has had haiku published in Australia, New Zealand and Japan. He currently lives in fabulous Frankston, Victoria.
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Sue Mill
lives in Queensland and has been writing haiku and senryu for about six years, since a chance encounter with the genre. She has had haiku published both in Australia and overseas.
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Jacqui Murray,
poet, historian and broadcaster, has been writing haiku for many years. In that time she has been an international haiku judge, co-ordinated the JAL World Childrens' Haiku Contest in Australia and has been widely published. She is now writing full-time and eating part-time and enjoying every minute.
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Kilmeny Niland
is a Sydney artist used to expressing images in paint and ink. She has been irresistibly drawn to the
art of haiku in the last three months, finding it a delightful challenge to swap the paintbrush for the
pen.
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Mark Power
...lives in Perth, married with two kids, a fishpond and dog.
Haiku/senryu/haibun... 'best suits my inner-voice'.
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Joanna Preston
is an expatriate Aussie living in Christchurch, New Zealand. She lives with a rampant vegie garden, three
budgies, assorted visiting hedgehogs, and Stewart; her Very Understanding Husband.
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Vanessa Proctor
is a recent arrival in Australia from New Zealand. Born in Singapore to British parents, she has lived all over the world. She was introduced to haiku while living in Japan and has never looked back! For her, one of the joys of writing haiku is meeting fellow haijin. She also writes poetry and works on other writing projects from her home in Sydney.
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Estelle Randall
has lived in Bendigo, Victoria all her life. She is married with two children; her poems appear in many literary magazines. She has recently discovered the delights of Haiku.
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Jean Rasey
(b.1925) became interested in haiku when hosting a Japanese exchange student in 1979/80. When Paper Wasp formed in 1994 it was the beginning of a rewarding participation in this succinct and evocative form of poetry.
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Lyn Reeves
lives in Hobart. Her poetry and haiku have been widely published. She edits the haiku pages of Famous Reporter and is one of the judges of the Hobo International Haiku Competition.
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Max Ryan
lives on the north coast of New South Wales. He is a mainstream poet who has found in haiku a beautiful form which keeps the self in its place. His favourite haiku is Ryokan's The thief / Left it behind,- / The moon at the window.
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ross sampson
lives in Hobart where he watches the weather and writes haiku. Haiku he has written have been published in "paper wasp", "Famous Reporter" and "Hobo".
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katherine samuelowicz
grew up in poland; now lives, works, dreams and writes poetry in brisbane
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Carla Sari
lives in Carlton, Victoria. She migrated to Australia in 1967 and has been writing poetry and short stories for several years now. She finds haiku the most satisfying form of poetry.
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Robert Scott
is an Australian haiku poet living in The Netherlands. He lived in Tokyo
between May 1997 and May 1999 where he was a member of a haiku circle, and has been writing haiku ever since. He also lived in Stockholm for a short time where he taught haiku to children aged 10-14.
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Susan Stanford
Susan Stanford was born in London of an English father and Australian mother. She lived for almost fifteen years in Japan, where she became interested in Japanese genre poetry. Her English language haiku has been widely published and she has won haiku awards in Japan, Australia and USA. She lives with her family in Melbourne where she teaches Japanese.
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Cecily Stanton
I fell in love with haiku after reading some wonderful examples in a newspaper article by Ross Clark in 1988. At the time no one I knew had heard of haiku, so I went to the State Library to learn the ancient art. My only way of knowing if I had succeeded, was to send my work to Japan, America and London. As they became accepted I knew I was finally on the right track.
After entering several haiku competition in Brisbane and getting honourable mentions I was invited to join Paper Wasp. At last I had Australians to discuss this intriguing subject with. I became co-editor with Janice Bostok of the Sting, a newsletter of the Paper Wasp Group. I also introduced haiku into the local schools when I taught the children in special haiku classes. I have judged competition and guest edited magazines. I have had my work included in many magazines and anthologies in Australia, Japan, America, Britain, and New Zealand, where I have a haiku carved on a rock at the Haiku Pathway, Katikatk.
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John Stokes
is an Australian writer whose work has been widely published in journals in Australia and North America. He won the Woorilla Poetry Prize in 1996 and has been runner-up in the International Haiku Competition in California.
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Norman Stokes,
born 1/3/18; married Margaret Wood 23/12/44. He was wounded in action: Syria 1941 and Kokoda Track 1942. Norm has five children and fifteen grandchildren. He published: "Powermelders and People" in 1975 ; "The Ostrat Poems" in 1977. Norm feels indebted to R.H. Blyth for his books on haiku, discovered accidentally while on a visit to Japan.
Publication of "The Ostrat Poems" is a landmark event in the history of haiku in Australia -- Ed.
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Alan J Summers
has been writing haiku since 1993. He also tends to become adopted by one-eyed cats and captured by the full moon. Still a Queenslander at heart, he now writes haiku wherever he can. He has been published in various haiku journals in Japan, Eire, UK and Australia.
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Jean Talbot
came to Australia in 1963, and has taught English at the University of Newcastle for many years. Her poetry is collected in V Hunter Valley Poets (1975) and Layers of Meaning (1994), both from Nimrod Publications.
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Norman Talbot
came to Australia in 1963. He retired from University teaching in 1993 to become a full-time writer. Among his ten collections, Where Two Rivers Meet (1980) is one of Australia's first haiku volumes; The Kelly Haiku (1985) and Four Zoas of Australia (1992) also contain major haiku sequences.
To send a message to this writer, email john bird and place the writer's name in the subject line
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John Turner
lives in Perth near the ocean and does part-time gardening. He has been
writing haiku for twenty five years, and has been published in USA, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia
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Cornelis Vleeskens
was born in Netherlands 1948 and arrived Australia 1958. A poet/painter, he works across a wide range of media. He says: "I have no theories of art, no need to create a cohesive ouvre. I draw on many sources and see each work as a challenge. Serveral ways of coming to terms with it are attempted -- the results stored in my repertoire for further use... "
[Cornelis provided the brushwork motif for this site's front page - jb, Ed.]
To send a message to this writer, email john bird and place the writer's name in the subject line
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John West
John West's latest poetry publication is entitled "Mal; Poems for Mal Morgan", 1999, distributed by
"SideWaLK" of Adelaide. He has had haiku published for several years, both in Australia and overseas.
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Les Wicks
Since age 17 he has regularly appeared in literary publications in Australia and elsewhere. His four books are The Vanguard Sleeps In (Glandular, 1981), Cannibals (Rochford St, 1985), Tickle Island (Island, 1993) & Nitty Gritty (Five Islands, 1997). He has performed in venues ranging from festivals to prisons to Parliament House. His Written in Sand & Artransit (poetry & art posters on the buses programme in Sydney & Newcastle) have won international recognition.
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Mike Williams
lives in Perth with his partner, also a poet, her two sons, and a disturbing number of animals; he also produces and edits occasional issues of a poetry broadsheet, Navigations, for WA poets.
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Sue Wilson
Born in Friern Barnet England in 1951. Grew up in Hertfordshire and
moved to the Isle of Wight in 1969 to undertake nursing training.
Travelled and worked overseas in the USA and Africa. Settled in
Brisbane in 1977, where I have lived ever since, raising a family
with my Husband Gordon, and enjoying the relaxed lifestyle. Started
writing poetry at the age of eight, but only discovered haiku three
years ago when a fellow poet introduced me to the Paper Wasp haiku
group in 1997. A deep love of all living things, combined with a wry
interest in "The Human Condition" inspires my writing and challenges
me to see the beautiful, the funny, the sad and the poignant in
everyday life.
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Gloria B. Yates
Author, editor, poet, publisher, Gloria Yates is known as the enfante terrible of Brisbane letters & specialises in making a nuisance of herself. Ex-teacher, ex-farmer, ex-married. Once bred red cows just for the colour. Publishes Micropress Oz which has cloned itself twice and now there are three Micropresses.
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