Leanne Mumford

Upcoming Gadigal Ginkō for Sydney poets: Wednesday 21st October

The next Gadigal Ginkō will take place on Wednesday 21st October, 2026 from 10am. For this spring gathering I’m hoping the weather will allow us to explore a garden at Lavender Bay, across the harbour from Gadigal land. There will be a Plan B in case of unsuitable weather. To join with other Sydney haiku poets for this event, please register by 19th October via the form on my Gadigal Ginko page. There you’ll find an outline of what’s involved in the ginkō, as well as links to reports of previous ginkō.

Leanne Mumford
Convenor, Gadigal Ginkō

AHS Spring Equinox 2026 Haiku String

The Australian Haiku Society welcomes contributions from haiku poets worldwide to the Spring Equinox Haiku String.

We are holding the Haiku String from the day of the Southern Hemisphere Spring Equinox, which occurs in Australia this year on Wednesday, September 23, 2026. The String will remain open for contributions until Wednesday, September 30, 2026 to accommodate international poets who may wish to take part. Contributions may be made on the website during these dates only.

AHS Haiku Reading Event at the Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival

24th August, 2026

On a blue sky day, seven haiku poets gathered at the Auburn Botanic Gardens to perform at the Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival. Readers were Gabby Higgins, Colleen Keating, Leanne Mumford, Nick O’Connor, Vanessa Proctor, Carol Reynolds and Pauline Trennery. The Australian Haiku Society has been reading at the festival since 2018.

Results of the ‘Spring Flowers’ contest, 24 August 2026

A big thank you to everyone who entered the Australian Haiku Society’s “Spring Flowers” haiku contest in August. This was the first time we conducted a contest to correspond with the Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival. The contest was open to haiku poets around Australia and attracted 54 entries, with all states and the ACT represented (ACT: 3, NSW: 23, QLD: 5, SA: 2, TAS: 6, VIC:11, WA: 4). Poets who entered were a mix of established and less experienced poets, including at least nine children – seven from one school and two siblings.

Reminder – ‘Spring Flowers’ contest closing 17th August

Australian poets are reminded that the ‘Spring Flowers’ themed haiku contest is closing soon. You’ll need to submit your poem by 5pm AEST on Monday 17th August. See the previous post for further details of the contest and the entry form you’ll need to use.

Reminder – WA Haiku Poets reading 14th August, 5pm AWST

If you’d like to join the Zoom reading by Western Australian haiku poets on Friday evening 14th August, you’ll need to register to receive the Zoom link. See the earlier post for more information, including a link to the registration form. Registrations close at 12pm AEST on Thursday 13th August.

Confluence journal postcard exchange project

The confluence journal has initiated a northern hemisphere ‘Summer Postcard Project‘, involving the exchange of postcards each containing a Japanese short form poem. David Green, confluence associate editor, writes:

‘Spring Flowers’ Haiku Contest for Australian Poets now closed

In the lead up to the Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival at Auburn Botanic Gardens, the Australian Haiku Society is running a haiku contest with the theme of ‘Spring Flowers’. We invite Australian poets to submit one haiku on this theme using the form below. Submissions closed at 5pm AEST on Monday 17th August.