A reminder that Windfall : Australian Haiku #9 closes for submissions on July 31st 2020. Please observe the submission guidelines shown here on the Australian Haiku Society website.
Month: July 2020
Paperbark Winter Ginko, Zoom Meeting and Email
As we move through winter here in Perth, I’m sure we’re all enjoying each moment, those chilly mornings, the glorious sunny days, the wintry, wild, stormy days, the welcomed rain, leaves tossed around by the winds and watching the seasonal changes around us. A perfect time to be in the moment! Or perhaps we’re already seeing the hints of Spring to come.
Continue reading “Paperbark Winter Ginko, Zoom Meeting and Email”
Haiku @ The Oaks, Canberra
Tuesday 14 July 2020
Despite the distancing required, the closeness of our haiku friendship was undaunted as we met again at The Oaks. All of us were present this time, spread around a previously booked table (now essential) by a heater in the marquee–Kathy Kituai, Glenys Ferguson, Marietta McGregor, Gregory Piko, Hazel Hall and Jan Dobb.
As The Oaks closes early in winter, we again met earlier than usual. This meant enjoying a lunch together as we caught up with each other and with haiku amid the aromas of fish’n’chips and linguine, a waft or two of cappuccino. What could be cosier on a Canberra winter day?
The Birds that Stay
This beautiful collection of haiku by Beverley George is the featured book of the week from The Haiku Foundation Digital Library. You can read it here.
Congratulations, Beverley!
Results: AHS Winter Haiga Kukai 2020 Non-Seasonal
1st Place
winter afternoon
draining the shadows
from a teacup
Gail Oare
This haiku presented itself as a solid winner from the first time I read it and it continues to resonate with each reading. Like all good haiku, one that stays with you and reveals successive layers, this is truly a classic moment. The scene is set on the first line and the connection with the shadows and cup in the image gives us the marvellous second line draining the shadows. This evokes for me what the late Martin Lucas, the fine English poet and editor, described as a “poetic spell,” — a special essence. This haiku works beautifully with the image to raise both the elements of art and words, together creating something greater. Continue reading “Results: AHS Winter Haiga Kukai 2020 Non-Seasonal”
Results AHS Winter Haiga Kukai 2020 Seasonal
1st Place
shortest day—
the robin and I sing
a little longer
Corine Timmer
This one was a clear winner for me with a lot going on in just a few words. The robin is the main feature of the image but the sounds we cannot hear are told in the haiku with fine suggestive detail. We have the contrast between the shortest day and a little longer; this sets the scene for a landscape of emotional suggestion. The poet creates a lovely deep connection between the robin and the witness. So much so that you can see there’s no separation between the two. Wouldn’t we all love to sing a little longer and to be fully present and alive in the world? Continue reading “Results AHS Winter Haiga Kukai 2020 Seasonal”
Chapbook Publication, Robyn Cairns
This Peace by Robyn Cairns, is a collection of short form poetry including; haiku, senryu, tanka, haibun, micro-poetry and haiga (featuring the author’s art and photography). The poetry was written predominantly in the year following her father’s death in 2017—and is very close to the heart. This Peace was accepted for publication in May 2019 and recently published by Ginninderra Press. The collection can be ordered here on the Ginninderra website. Well known Canadian haiku poet and good friend Marianne Paul generously wrote the blurb for the book.
Australian Haiku Society 