The February 2024 Eucalypt: a tanka journal e-Newsletter is now online, announcing the Distinctive Scribble Award winners for issue 35. Click on the link below to access the PDF file.
https://jthorndyke.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/eucalypt-enews-feb-2024.pdf
Submission window for issue 36: 1st to 31st March 2024.
Julie Thorndyke
Editor, Eucalypt : a tanka journal
editor.eucalypt@gmail.com
DATE: Thursday 8 February (summer)
PLACE: Missingham Park, Ballina at 10 am
Cloudcatchers’ Summer Ginko (No.72) was held between raindrops on the southern bank of the mouth of the Richmond River in Ballina, on Thursday 8 February 2024, with the group assembling at 10 am. Missingham Park is adjacent to the Skate Park, which subsequently featured in a few of our haiku.
Continue reading “Cloudcatchers Ginko No. 72”The call for Expressions of Interest in joining the AHS Committee in various roles is closing soon – on Monday 26th February. This is a great opportunity to help steer the society in the future, so if you are an Australian haiku poet with something to contribute – enthusiasm, time, experience, skills or ideas – please consider volunteering for a role. See the earlier post for more details, and contact the Secretary with any queries via the Contact Secretary form.
Nine poets met for the fourth Gadigal Ginko, held in a corner of Centennial Park on Saturday 3rd February. We welcomed three first-time participants – Zina, Jane and Devni – joining Subha, Carol, Margaret, Susan, Wanda and Leanne.
Continue reading “Gadigal Ginko 3rd February 2024”The Australian Haiku Society is calling on Australian haiku poets to submit expressions of interest to serve in several positions on the Society’s Executive Committee. The Executive Committee is responsible for the administration of the Society so that it can fulfill its mission. The Society exists to promote and support English-language haiku in Australia and encourage the enjoyment of this poetic form in the Australian community.
Continue reading “Help Steer the Australian Haiku Society”1. We are calling for Expressions of Interest in joining the Australian Haiku Society Executive Committee. Look out for the details coming shortly in a separate post.
2. Hobart Launch: under the same moon: Fourth Australian Haiku Anthology. 16th February at Fullers Bookshop. Further details below.
3. Although it is several months away, we are encouraging you to start planning how you will celebrate International Haiku Poetry Day on 17 April. More details below.
4. Return of Haiku Down Under conference in August. See below for dates.
5. Sandra Simpson, our colleague over in New Zealand, maintains a fantastic international list of competition and publication opportunities at Haiku NewZ.
6. Congratulations to Lorraine Haig on the publication of her first haiku collection Curving into Light, available from Forty South. Congratulations to Gavin Austin, Rose van Son, Wanda Amos, Carol Reynolds and Julie Constable for their great results in the Summer Solstice Non-Seasonal and Seasonal Kukai contests. If you’re an Australian haiku poet who has recently won a prize or received an award for your haiku, haibun or haiga, if you’ve been published in a book or been invited to read your work, we’d like to know so we can share the good news. Please use the Contact Secretary form to tell us about your recent achievement.
Although having given up on summer, our group risked gathering outdoors for a breakfast meeting near the Portarlington Pier. Twenty degrees and a light but cool breeze were no deterrent as we shared an array of breakfast goodies before we got down to business.
Continue reading “Portarlington Haiku Society”So good to be back together in the shade of bird-busy oaks —Kathy Kituai, Glenys Ferguson, Hazel Hall, Greg Piko and Jan Dobb. We missed Marietta MacGregor, who was out of town
With a new year starting up, it seemed appropriate to assess any ‘suggestions, preferences, or complaints’ about our direction for the future months. Immediate unanimity—keep going just the way we are! Our unstructured informality suits very well indeed. Accordingly, we got under way. . .
Due to our curiosity at a previous gathering when Hazel spoke of Sedoka, she had kindly prepared a detailed introduction for us, complete with examples and notes to take away and ponder at leisure. . . and maybe have a go at writing? A lively discussion was immediately under way. For most of us this old Japanese form is new territory, even though it incorporates some familiar techniques. Again, we admired Hazel’s explorations of—and her beautiful writing of—the less familiar forms. She urged us to visit the Songbirds Sedoka Journal on the UHTS website.
Jan then produced a small book with yellowing pages that she had picked up by chance at a second-hand book fair—James Hackett: Haiku Poetry, volume three (1968). As the book was passed around the table and various examples of Hackett’s verse were read aloud, the subsequent history and development of English language haiku became apparent. However, we did wonder at times whether some of the ‘old’ ways are re-appearing today as ‘acceptable’ after all. Haiku remains fluid. Hackett’s sense of wonder at things ordinary is obvious and, at times, Issa-like. An early pioneer to be valued as ELH continues to evolve.
As we leave the table, the currawongs descend for their round of spirited interchange—this time it’s all about cold chips!
Jan Dobb
Australian Haiku Society 