Autumn Equinox 2026 Selections

The autumn equinox – when day and night are of equal length – has been an important marker of seasonal change throughout human cultures. With the observance of seasons a significant aspect of haiku practice, the Australian Haiku Society chooses to mark the solstices and equinoxes each year. This Southern hemisphere autumn, as leaves of exotic trees begin to change colour and many of our native plants come into flower, we invite you to enjoy a selection of favourite poems submitted to Haiku Strings in previous autumns. You can find PDF booklets of all the Haiku Strings we have held to date on our Resources page .

footy siren
picking the last
ripe tomato
Louise Hopewell, 2023

morning moonset
the black swan’s bill
blood red
Cathryn Daley, 2023

disagreement
morning walk together
alone
Carol Reynolds, 2020

dancing breeze
a hoop pine seed
glides in to land
Quendryth Young, 2023

outdoor café
more dogs in trendy coats
than people
Kathryn Woolfe, 2019

park bench
a two o’clock shadow
holds my hand
Barbara Tate, 2019

Opera House
an autumn breeze
fills the sails
Gavin Austin, 2019

flooded street
a man rescues
a teddybear
Kathleen Earsman, 2019

fire glow
the baby’s breath
on my cheek
Margaret Mahony, 2021

schoolchildren’s protest
their hearts displayed
on recycled cardboard
Marietta McGregor, 2019

chilly breeze
a spider’s thread shifts
the moonlight
Lyn Arden, 2023

rain clouds
blackening the sky
Carnaby’s cockatoos
Maureen Sexton, 2023

last song . . .
the busker turns
to his dog
Madhuri Pillai, 2020

slow steps
a curving path
walking to her grave
Maurice Neville, 2021

dogs long gone—
all their feeding bowls
overflow with rain
Ron C. Moss, 2020

Summer Solstice 2025 Selections

The summer solstice – when the sun reaches the highest point in the sky creating the longest day and shortest night of the year – has been important to many cultures throughout human history. With the observance of seasons a significant aspect of haiku practice, the Australian Haiku Society chooses to mark the solstices and equinoxes each year. This year for the Southern hemisphere summer solstice we are sharing a few favourite poems submitted to Haiku Strings in previous summers. You can find PDF booklets of most of the Haiku Strings we have held to date on our Resources page .

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The 2025 AFL Grand Final Haiku Kukai

Welcome to the annual celebration of Australian footy and haiku!

Calling haiku poets from all over the planet to participate in the Annual AFL Grand Final Haiku Kukai for 2025. Over the past decade this has become a much-loved event – the one day of the year when haiku poets (expert and novice), footy fans and misanthropes turn their Zen or otherwise addled minds to producing a live haiku call of the AFL Grand Final. Sounds bonkers, doesn’t it? Come along and find out!

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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. 

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The 2024 AFL Grand Final Haiku Kukai

Grand Final day—
the clear blue sky
is part of the scent

Welcome to the annual celebration of Australian footy and haiku!

Calling all haiku poets from every nook and cranny on the planet to participate in the Annual AFL Grand Final Haiku Kukai for 2024. This has become a much loved event, now running for over a decade! The one day of the year when haiku poets, expert and novice, footy fan or critic, turn their Zen minds to the rip-roaring, white-knuckle ride of a footy match to produce a live haiku call of the AFL Grand Final.

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Registrations Closing Soon for Haiku Down Under 2024

Registrations for Haiku Down Under are free and close on August 11.

The Haiku Down Under weekend, taking place online via Zoom from Friday to Sunday, August 16-18, will provide a unique occasion to explore haiku and related forms in depth, and to connect with fellow haiku poets in Australia, New Zealand and beyond.

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Register now for Haiku Down Under 2024

It’s now only two months until Haiku Down Under 2024, which will take place online via Zoom from Friday to Sunday, August 16-18, 2024. Register for free for Haiku Down Under 2024 via the form on the website’s Register page. You will receive an initial confirmation email. Zoom links will be sent in August. Registrations will close on August 11. A haiku contest to be run in conjunction with HDU 2024 will only be open to registered participants.

Visit the Programme page for current information on the mix of presentations, interactive workshops and other activities planned for the weekend. Visit the Presenters page for details of our exciting line-up of poet presenters.

For any queries or messages for the Haiku Down Under team, please use the link on the Contact Us page.

Haiku Writing Workshop by Alice Wanderer

The Melbourne Poets Union presents Haiku and the Seasons Writing Workshop, by Alice Wanderer, Sunday 9 June, 2024 11:00am.

This workshop is aimed at anyone interested in learning to write haiku or in deepening their understanding of it. It will focus on the English Language haiku tradition and Japanese haiku intersect.

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