The Portarlington Haiku Society came to fruition in October 2021 and has been operating on-line for the past five months until today when nine of its twelve members came together in person, a few to meet for the very first time. We met at the Pt Richards Reserve where a formally-mapped Haiku Trail exists, initiated by two of our members nearly three years ago.
Today, after introductions all round, we discussed the value of haiku and the Guidelines for Writing Haiku as published by the AHS from a workshop by Quendryth Young. We all agreed that this guide was one of the best we have found for the haiku beginner and have adopted it as our group’s go to information text.
We each read a haiku that we have come across in our reading that particularly resonates with us, then read one of our own recent pieces, telling of our inspiration and allowing for discussion. We also discussed how many highly acclaimed published works frequently contradict the guidelines but determined that rules are made to be broken and that each person takes on board what is best for them. We also discussed our own recent group renga and the best way to proceed with those.
The group are happy with the current newsletters and monthly kukai and it was suggested that we maintain our regular on-line communication with a face-to-face meeting occurring seasonally, with the occasional ginko tossed in for those willing and able on the designated dates. Most importantly, we all had a jolly good time and are all keen to learn through participation.
Jenny Macaulay (Facilitator)
Australian Haiku Society 