Year: 2017

AHS Spring Haiga Kukai: Non Seasonal Results with comments by judge Ron Moss

capture

First Place

silence a haunting in the archives of a sigh

-Lorin Ford

Haiku that resonate more with every reading do not reveal themselves at first glance, they require a deeper investigation. This haiku fascinated me from the first reading and I found an instant connection between silence and the film equipment. Then we have the wonderful a haunting in the archives of a sigh… splendid! One could draw many meanings and connections, but for me the capturing of memories is the haunting from the past and the mention of a sigh their emotional content. This becomes a powerful mix of juxtaposition and intrigue.

Continue reading “AHS Spring Haiga Kukai: Non Seasonal Results with comments by judge Ron Moss”

AHS Spring Haiga Kukai: Seasonal Results with comments by judge Ron Moss

in purple

First Place

homecoming . . .
a bouquet of sky
in an old jar

-Debbie Strange

A lovely evocative haiku that links beautifully with the image’s soft and hard shapes and also the interesting connection with a bouquet of sky. The feeling of a homecoming is embedded deep within the words and image colours. The soft focus adds a feeling of memory and passing of time. Something new has come from the blending of haiku and image which is the hallmark of a really excellent haiga.

Continue reading “AHS Spring Haiga Kukai: Seasonal Results with comments by judge Ron Moss”

Cloudcatchers Ginko No.47 (Spring)

Report by Quendryth Young

At last the drought has broken and we are overjoyed, but quietly disappointed that it rained on our ginko. Ten of us gathered at the site of the old Bangalow Weir, which was constructed across Byron Creek in 1924 to create a swimming pool for local residents. Carnivals were held over many years, and even attracted Olympic champions (such as Andrew [Boy] Charlton and Arne Borg, the Swedish swimmer).

Cloudcatchers first held a ginko here in summer 2007, again in spring 2008, spring in 2009, autumn in 2011 and winter in 2016. We watched the weir deteriorate, but restoration work in 2016 and local involvement in replanting has saved this iconic feature. A fishway was constructed to facilitate the movement of Australian bass swimming upstream, and includes habitat for platypus. A sign by the creek reads:

‘Jahna ngali garimaleh jogun’ or ‘Let’s stand together look after country’. Continue reading “Cloudcatchers Ginko No.47 (Spring)”

The Mystery of Haiku : by Jan Dobb

book on rock
photo: Ron Moss

Why do I read and write haiku?
Like so many people, I guess, I’ve always been intrigued by what I can only call the mystery of life. What are we? Questions, questions, questions . . . In younger and more certain days I looked for answers and followed many trails only to end up with even more questions. Now, in my ageing and more mellow days I’ve come to accept questions for just what they are – questions. At last I allow mystery to be mystery. And this is where haiku fits in.

Continue reading “The Mystery of Haiku : by Jan Dobb”

The Wonder Code by Scott Mason

Associate editor of The Heron’s Nest, Scott Mason, has released a new book entitled The Wonder Code: Discover the Way of Haiku and See the World with New Eyes. John Stevenson, the managing editor of The Heron’s Nest writes, “The Wonder Code is both a book about haiku and a book of haiku. It contains five linked essay chapters by Scott (plus an Introduction and Afterword) as well as five extensive ‘galleries’ of haiku poems, each related to the theme of its preceding chapter. Altogether the volume features more than 450 standout haiku, all of which first appeared in The Heron’s Nest in the last two decades. And for those who have come to appreciate Scott’s own work, the book includes a separate, generous selection of his haiku.” Continue reading “The Wonder Code by Scott Mason”

Report on Bindii Japanese Genre Poetry Group Meeting: 7 October 2017

Our follow up haibun workshop presented by Maeve Archibald was an opportunity to share the haibun written from the prompts provided at our August workshop. Six members attended and read work on a variety of subjects that had stimulated their imagination. Helpful critique and suggestions followed each reading.

As a further follow up, Lee Bentley, liaising with Maeve, will intermittently email some writing stimulus ideas to members. It is hoped that this will provide some continuity between our bimonthly meetings. Continue reading “Report on Bindii Japanese Genre Poetry Group Meeting: 7 October 2017”