President’s greeting
It was great to see so many opportunities for poets to connect with each other and the wider community in the last month as International Haiku Poetry Day was marked in various ways around 17th April. In the Haiku Groups’ Zoom meeting hosted by AHS, thirty poems were read, one each composed by poets from five groups based in different parts of the country: Fringe Myrtles (Melbourne), Paperbark Haiku (Perth), Bindii Japanese Genre Poetry Group (Adelaide & online), Cloudcatchers (NSW North Coast) and Illawong Haiku Group (Sydney). Thanks to all the poets who contributed to the success of the gathering.
It was also my pleasure to meet many poets in person for the first time at the Sydney launch of under the same moon on 14th April. My thanks go to Vanessa Proctor for organising a very convivial event, and to all the poets who read their work. And I was honoured to help launch Subhashini Jayatilake’s Sinhala & English bilingual collection of Sri Lankan haiku through the horizon on 4th May, in a wonderful community event in Blacktown. It’s one of my aims to facilitate more opportunities for poets to connect with each other.
The new committee is settling in, with an initial meeting on 9th April and another on 13th May. The Secretary role has transitioned to Alison Rogers. Wanda Amos and Maureen Sexton are actively managing the AHS Facebook page. Featured Haiku have returned with weekly selections by Rob Scott. Lynette Arden has undertaken necessary updates to our website, mostly behind the scenes.
It’s always gratifying to see the names of fellow Australian haiku poets in journals that I read. There are far too many instances to congratulate poets individually here. It’s clear that Australian poets have a presence on the increasingly global haiku stage.
If you’re an Australian haiku poet who has recently won a prize or received an award for your haiku, haibun or haiga, if you’ve been published in a book or been invited to read your work, we’d like to know so we can share the good news. Please use the Contact Secretary form to tell us about your recent achievement.
New Zealand Poetry Society International Haiku Competition closing May 31st
The NZPS International Haiku Competition 2024 is now open – entries close May 31st. (There is also a competition for juniors – 17 years or younger.) See the NZPS website for details.
Haiku Down Under 2024 Programme Released
The Haiku Down Under Team is excited to release the programme and list of confirmed presenters at Haiku Down Under 2024. Over the weekend of August 16-18, connect with fellow poets from far and near to explore the theme of A Sensory Journey in a mix of presentations, interactive workshops and other activities. Here’s just a taste of what’s in store:
- engage with the full range of human senses and experience different ways of perceiving the world
- draw on sensory memories to create new poems
- sharpen your mindfulness and immerse yourself in the magic of nature
- encounter intersections of haiku with visual art and music
Registrations will open on June 1 via a dedicated online form that will soon be available on the HDU website. Please use the form on the Contact Us page to get in touch with any queries.
Haiku and the Seasons Writing Workshop by Alice Wanderer
Reminder: the Melbourne Poets Union presents Haiku and the Seasons Writing Workshop, by Alice Wanderer, Sunday 9 June, 2024 from 11:00am. For further details see the previous post of 24th April .
Australian Haiku at Matsuyama Conference
The Australian Studies Association of Japan, (ASAJ) are holding the 2024 annual conference in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan on the 15th & 16th of June, 2024. Since Matsuyama is known as the birthplace of several haiku masters, including Shiki Masaoka and Kyoshi Takahama, the conference organisers decided to include haiku as one of the main topics and to hold a symposium on how haiku has been evolving in Australia and Japan and worldwide.
Rob Scott has been invited to participate and will be presenting on Australian Haiku – Is it a Thing?
Over one hundred years into its journey, Australian haiku is still forming its identity. The long migration of haiku’s transmission to Australia, highlighted by flawed translations and the turbulent impact of the world haiku movement, have put significant restraints on Australia’s ability to forge an identity that reflected its culture and history. Nevertheless, and in the absence of a haiku tradition, Australian poets continue to explore an ever-increasing range of approaches to haiku and a growing list of haiku techniques and poetic devices. In my recent capacity as president of the Australian Haiku Society (2020-2024) and co-editor of the Fourth Australian Haiku Anthology (2023), I will present increasing evidence to suggest that this ‘discovery phase’ has given rise to the emergence of some ‘home-grown’ qualities which could lay the foundations for an identifiably Australian approach to haiku writing. While a distinctive voice is arguably not required for the survival of haiku in Australia, its continued emergence can only strengthen the quality of haiku Australia can offer the world and consolidate its standing in the international haiku community.
— Rob Scott
More News from across the Tasman
Kokako journal going digital
Kokako, a haiku journal based in Aotearoa New Zealand recently published its last print edition, issue 40, under the editorship of Patricia Prime and Margaret Beverland. It will be digital from issue 41, with the submission period already open for the issue. This is an international journal with a strong trans-Tasman flavour. https://kokako10.wordpress.com/
Haiku Happenings New Zealand resource
The Haiku Happenings pages of the New Zealand Poetry Society maintained by Sandra Simpson are an invaluable resource if you are looking for contests and publication opportunities.
Australian Haiku Society 