April has been a productive month in the world of haiku and very pleasingly creative contributions from Australia continue to blossom forth. While our news (perhaps too often) tends to focus on some of the more recognised examples of haiku success it is well to remember that kids having a go at haiku in the classroom, new group members just embarking on the haiku journey and people anywhere asking the question ‘what is haiku’ are all instances good news. If you have any stories of haiku happenings at the grassroots we’d love to hear them.
Groups and Gatherings
For some of the April news on various group gatherings and ginko click on the links below.
Lunch at the Brunswick Hotel with the Cloudcatchers and reflect on the ‘must read’ haiku sequence In the Wake of Cyclone Debbie edited by Nathalie Buckland.
To take a stroll through Adelaide’s beautiful botanic gardens with Bindii’s latest ginko led by Lee Bentley read here.
Book Launch
Ancient Bloodlines: an eBook of collaborative rengay by Simon Hanson & Ron C. Moss has been launched by Caroline Skanne and is available as a free download at wildflower poetry press and at hedgerow: a journal of small poems. Readers are invited to make a donation to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy if they wish. Stay tuned for Ancient Bloodlines in book form in the coming months.
Competition Successes
Well done to Vanessa Proctor for heading September’s page of the popular Snapshot Press Haiku Calendar for 2018. Congratulations also to runners-up Jan Dobb and Marietta Jane McGregor in this competition.
Congratulations also goes to Gregory Piko for his haiku
this beach of pebbles
after the wave
my life rearranged
gaining a Commendation in Romania’s Sharpening the Green Pencil Contest 2017
The entire Book of the Contest can be read here.
A number of Australians have had Photo Haiku featured on the NHK Haiku Masters TV and Intermedia site over the month of April. Photo Haiku by Barbara Taylor, Simon Hanson and Marietta Jane McGregor are displayed on the site while Ram N has a haiku selected to match April’s NHK photo prompt. All selections can be viewed here.
Congratulations to Lorin Ford and Samar Ghose on being shortlisted for The Haiku Foundation’s prestigious Touchstone Awards for Individual Poems 2016 with the following haiku:
slip one knit one the pattern of winter bones
Lorin Ford (The Living Haiku Anthology Annual haiku competition 2016)
the length of the night when it matters why
Samar Ghose (Sonic Boom 5)
All of the awarded and shortlisted poems along with the Distinguished Books Award and commentaries can be found here.
This year’s San Francisco International Rengay Competition (HPNC) judged by Tanya McDonald has been won by Simon Hanson and Beverley George with:
Grand Arcade
hometown
an old tram rattles past
shopfront windows
Haigh’s chocolates dance
in reflected squares of light
Pier hotel
colourful birds chatter
in the beer garden
grand arcade
little fingers smear the brass
of stairwell railings
an art deco chandelier
graces the Odeon foyer
beyond
the thump of cricket bats
the spires of St Peters
All results and judge’s comments to the contest can be found here.
The Australian Haiku Society hosted another very popular Haiga Kukai kindly judged by Ron C. Moss in the two categories of Seasonal and Non-Seasonal. Ron’s superb photographs once again attracted a large number of quality haiku to complement his images. The results and commentaries can be read here.
Other News
Please enjoy Nathan Sidney’s insightful commentary selected for The Haiku Foundation’s re:Virals.
Hoping May brings you many quiet moments of inspiration and enjoyment in all things haiku and looking forward to reading more of what you have to share.
Simon Hanson
Australian Haiku Society 