AHS 2025 Autumn Equinox Kukai – update

The deadline for participants to vote in the AHS 2025 Autumn Equinox Kukai is 11.59pm Australian Central Standard Time on Wednesday 9th April. So far votes have been received from more than 2/3 of the 78 eligible participants.

Voting information was sent to eligible participants on 2nd April ACDT. If you submitted an eligible poem and haven’t received an email about voting, please check your Spam/Junk folder. To be fair to all participants, if you submitted an eligible poem, you are expected to vote. If you fail to vote, your poem will be excluded from the final results.

The winning five poems, together with their authors’ names, will be published on the AHS website on 17th April 2025, International Haiku Poetry Day.

All participants who submit votes will be sent the set of ranked results, but point tallies will only be provided for the winning five poems.

Leanne Mumford
Kukai Convenor

White Pebbles Ginko Autumn 2025

On Saturday March 15, together with esteemed founder and convener, Beverley George, White Pebbles members, Marilyn Humbert, Kent Robinson, Colleen Keating, Michael Thorley and Gwen Bitti gathered at the Edogawa Commemorative Gardens in East Gosford for their autumn meeting. Apologies were received from Pip Griffin, Maire Glacken and Samantha Sirimanne Hyde. Following coffee and a chat at the café, we agreed to continue with Kent Robinson’s suggested theme from summer — Waterfall. Members then headed out on their ginko.

Woodend Haiku Festival – April 2025

International Haiku Day is celebrated worldwide on April 17 each year. Local poet, Myron Lysenko, Victoria’s Regional Representative for the Australian Haiku Society, has organised haiku activities in Woodend throughout April, including a haiku contest, haiku readings, haiku workshops, pop-up haiku poets, and a haiku picnic. Lysenko is the convenor of the monthly spoken word event Chamber Poets, and is an avid promoter, practitioner and teacher of haiku.

AHS 2025 Autumn Equinox Kukai

Welcome to the Australian Haiku Society 2025 Autumn Equinox Kukai. This is a new participation-based event open to haiku poets. It will open on the Autumn Equinox, 20th March 2025, and results will be announced to coincide with International Haiku Poetry Day on 17th April 2025. The window for entries has now closed. Thanks to all participants. Check below for what happens next!

Illawong Haiku Group Autumn Meeting, 4 March 2025

Five poets gathered at Alison Miller’s home in Revesby. Present were Alison Miller, Rita Potente, Patricia Meredith, Kathleen Ann and Margaret Mahony. Carol Reynolds, Ros Pitt and a future new member Enza Russo were unable to attend.

Report on Gadigal Ginko, Summer 2025

The 8th Gadigal Ginko took place on Wednesday 26th February 2025, with five participants. First-timers Julie Thorndyke and Anita Xian joined two regulars, Carol Reynolds and Margaret Mahony, and convenor, Leanne Mumford. We travelled by ferry from Circular Quay westward under the Harbour Bridge to Wareamah – Cockatoo Island. Thanks to its varied history, this island, located where the Parramatta River meets Sydney Harbour, has much to offer poets.

February 2025 Members’ News

From the President…

Welcome to our first news for 2025.
Have you entered the third John Bird Dreaming Award yet?
The executive committee met on 10th February. We reviewed activities over the last months of 2024 and discussed some initiatives for this year.

Next Gadigal Ginko: ~9.30am 26th February 2025

The next Gadigal Ginko in Sydney will take place on Wednesday 26th February 2025, meeting at ~9.30am to visit Wareamah / Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour. Contemporary haiku poets of all levels of experience are invited to join the gathering. To register and receive details of the exact meeting point and arrangements, please visit the Gadigal Ginko web page.

Leanne Mumford
Convenor, Gadigal Ginko