Welcome to the Australian Haiku Society Members’ News, October 2026. In this edition we have a round-up of recent AHS activities, a look at what craft aspects make contemporary haiku appealing, a preview of the John Bird Dreaming Award, and a reminder that Echidna Tracks is currently open for submissions for Issue 18.
President’s Message
What does a well-crafted contemporary Australian haiku look like? Recently, I’ve been pondering this while choosing poems for our Featured Haiku series, all drawn from the journal Windfall: Australian Haiku.
Unlike judging a contest, choosing published poems from a quality journal like Windfall is made easier by the fact that an accomplished editor has already discarded the unappealing poems. Unfortunately, our contests and ‘Strings’ continue to attract a proportion of entries that show ignorance of, or a disregard for, modern English-language haiku craft.
So what elements of haiku craft do I find appealing? The list below is by no means exhaustive.
- a vivid sense-based observation that invite reader participation – I like to feel I can ‘step into’ the poem space
- a ‘telling’ detail that anchors the poem in a specific moment or experience
- a surprising juxtaposition that stimulates my imagination
- a fresh perspective on a familiar situation or subject, resulting in a bit of magic or a startling insight
- imagery that has capacity to induce deeper contemplation beyond the literal meaning, such as through metaphor, symbolism or allusion
- a relatable experience conveyed through assiduous word-choices that are able to evoke an emotional response without explicitly telling the reader what to feel
- clear and engaging language, often based on everyday words
- euphony, and generally the use of sound to enhance the overall impact of the poem, such as through alliteration, consonance and assonance
- a rhythm or pace that is in harmony with tone of the poem
- when appropriate, use of what John Bird referred to as ‘keywords’ that give the poem a distinctive Australian flavour.
Want to improve your haiku craft? There are many resources available online, such as at The Haiku Foundation, but one of the simplest and best ways is to simply study a range of quality haiku. Some examples: the winning poems and commentary from the three John Bird Dreaming Award contests so far – Third, Second and First, and our recent ‘Spring Flowers’ haiku contest.
Recent AHS activities
The AHS Executive Committee met on 19 September. Since our last meeting there have been a number of successful activities:
A very enjoyable online Haiku Reading evening was hosted by our Western Australian members on the 14 August thanks to the coordination of Rose van Son and Coral Carter. We plan to cover all States and Territories where there are active haiku poets.
Vanessa Proctor coordinated a group from AHS to present a haiku reading at the Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival. Seven of us read and briefly discussed haiku by a range of authors including the great masters and some of our own works on the theme of Spring flowers.
The Results of the Australian Haiku Society Spring Flowers Haiku Contest were announced at the Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival. Vanessa Proctor and Leanne Mumford were the judges for the Contest and they provided some commentary on the winning entries.
Rob Scott coordinated the Spring Equinox Haiku String (open from 21 – 30 September) on the theme of Sports and Rob also ran the AFL Kukai on Grand Final Day again this year.
Leanne has prepared a selection of haiku from the journal Windfall and developed some commentary about what makes these poems work. The Featured Haiku from Windfall series will be posted fortnightly on the AHS website over the next few months.
John Bird Dreaming Award opens soon
Save your best poems for the fourth biennial John Bird Dreaming Award for Haiku. This international haiku competition will open in November and close early in 2027. For some tips on the sorts of attributes that award-winning poems display, read the most recent judges’ opening comments from 2025.
Echidna Tracks
Echidna Tracks has now become an international publication and welcomes submissions from haiku poets worldwide. Echidna Tracks hopes to publish a diversity of haiku and senryu.
Jennifer Sutherland and Julia Wakefield will be the haiku editors for this issue. We invite your best and previously unpublished haiku/senryu on any topic.
Echidna Tracks nominates haiku for the Touchstone Awards and the annual Red Moon Press anthology, so be sure to send us your best work.
Submissions for Issue 18 will be open during October 2026. Please read the guidelines on the Submissions page carefully, as they have changed. We will accept submissions only through the submissions form. We plan to publish Issue 18 in early January 2027.
Awards, Achievements and Publications
We are keen to acknowledge the achievements of AHS members, so if you have recently won an award or your work has been acknowledged in a contest please let us know by contacting the AHS Secretary.
Similarly if you have had a major publication, we would like to know and spread the news.
Please use the Contact Secretary form to get in touch with Nick O’Connor, AHS Secretary.
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