Author: Simon Hanson

Light and Counterlight by Mark Miller

Mark Miller has recently had a new collection of haiku and senryu, Light and Counterlight, published by Ginninderra Press. ‘In Light and Counterlight it is especially Mark Miller’s unique view, his long experience and solid craft of writing that make his work look effortless. His poems are aesthetic and effectively show that the small things, such as a breeze, the trickle of water or shimmering light, are actually the great ones that drive and preserve the circle of life.’  – Beate Conrad, Editor Chrysanthemum





 
 
Cover: Autumn Valley, watercolour by Ron C. Moss

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Cloudcatchers Summer Ginko #60

Pop Denison Park, Ballina, NSW  
Thursday 28 January 2021

Cloudcatchers gathered for Ginko No. 60 at a lovely little seaside inlet, Shaw’s Bay, in Ballina, just north of the mouth of the Richmond River. Previously the group has celebrated each ‘noughty’ ginko at the site of our first gathering in 2005, at Brunswick Heads, but we have all aged since then. As most of our more senior and stalwart members are now reluctant to make the half hour drive in highway traffic, we ‘stayed home’, and the younger ones came to us.

Still in the search for ‘What makes a good haiku?’ we enjoyed reading snippets to each other from the recent ‘Windfall’, Issue No.9 2021 (edited by Beverley George, published by Peter Macrow of Blue Giraffe Press). We appraised a number of haiku by members, and also those of some highly respected haijin, savouring the process.

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Book Review – breaking my journey

breaking my journey by Gregory Piko

reviewed by Cynthia Rowe

breaking my journey, published by the prestigious Red Moon Press, is delightfully produced. The cover, designed by Ron C. Moss, a digital photograph, is particularly striking. The book is smoothly finished, and a pleasure to hold.

The collection contains ninety-eight individual haiku, two haibun, a rengay and haiku shuffle, wherein Gregory Piko extols the things we take for granted, the essence of what makes us ‘us’. He extracts beauty from the everyday, makes us see the world in a fresh light; that which seems banal on first viewing is elevated to the extraordinary, universal in its appeal.

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Drifting Sands: Aussie Style

The US based online journal, Drifting Sands, has had a particularly Aussie flavour lately with the January Special Feature: Girt by Sea overseen and including the works of poet-photographer Gavin Austin. This collection features pieces by a number of Australian poets. Some of the photographs may take a little while to load because of their high resolution, but they are worth it!

Also the current issue of Drifting Sands: issue 7, with a more international selection, has been guest edited by Marilyn Humbert and can be enjoyed here.

Haiku @ The Oaks, Canberra

Tuesday 12 January 2021

Although summer has started to heat up, a breeze beneath shady trees made for a perfect setting as we gathered at The Oaks to begin another year. All were present — Glenys Ferguson, Marietta McGregor, Kathy Kituai, Hazel Hall, Gregory Piko and Jan Dobb — along with a full attendance of vociferous birds!

Over lunch, Greg produced copies of his recently published book breaking my journey, a joy anticipated by us all. Congratulations and sales came thick and fast, as did some spontaneous haiku readings. A striking cover, designed by Ron Moss, opens to a collection of Greg’s haiku (and variants) in an immediately attractive format — an invitation to enter and muse. Our thanks to Greg for sharing his inspiring work in this way. For more details visit Greg’s website here.

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Members’ News, December 2020

Dear AHS members,

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year, filled with the joy of writing haiku. 2020 has been a difficult year which has brought many challenges and much sadness. As I’m sure all of you would agree, reading and writing haiku has provided much needed sustenance in a year full of anxiety and grief. Moreover, the opportunity to reach out to the broader haiku community across Australia and beyond via Zoom was a particular and unexpected pleasure. I sincerely hope this vibrant and communal spirit continues into this year.

It has been a productive year for the AHS as we celebrated our 20th year, and we have more exciting plans for the year ahead, including the announcement of the winner of the inaugural John Bird Dreaming Award for Haiku.

Thank you all for you valuable support for my first year as President and I look forward to continued support and more of your wonderful haiku in 2021.

Happy New Year!
Rob Scott

Haiga Kukai

The AHS Summer Solstice Haiga Kukai has concluded with an excellent response from participants. Contributions are now being considered by the adjudicator Ron Moss. You can revisit the entries here for both the Seasonal and Non-seasonal categories.

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