Finally, after 1 year, 5 months and 17 days (534 days!) the Fringe Myrtles were able to kiss Zoom meetings goodbye and meet toe-to-toe at the glorious Melbourne Botanical Gardens. You could not wipe the smile from our faces as we gathered along with throngs of other sun-seeking Melbournians on a glorious autumn afternoon at the Tea House Terrace, situated opposite the Ornamental Lake. It was like a dream.
Category: Fringe Myrtles
Fringe Myrtles Haiku Meeting, November 2020
The Fringe Myrtles met for what will (probably) be the last time this year. Once again, and customarily for 2020, the meeting was held on Zoom, attended by local, interstate and international guests – the blessed irony of the pandemic.
Continue reading “Fringe Myrtles Haiku Meeting, November 2020”
Fringe Myrtles Haiku Meeting, October 2020
Still in lockdown under Stage 4 stay-at-home restrictions, the Fringe Myrtles had their 4th Zoom meeting of the year. Fourteen of us attended the meeting, including first-timer Andrew Korbel, and fifteen haiku were shared on the theme of ‘unity’.
Continue reading “Fringe Myrtles Haiku Meeting, October 2020”
Fringe Myrtles Haiku Meeting August 2020
The Fringe Myrtles said goodbye to the winter of 2020 (a winter of some discontent) with yet another COVID-19 lockdown-enforced Zoom meeting held on the last Sunday of August. And it was another typically lively and collaborative affair, highlighted by engrossing discussions and the sharing of original haiku.
Fringe Myrtles Haiku Meeting May 2020
For our latest meeting in COVID isolation, the Fringe Myrtles were honoured to have the company of American haiku poet and essayist, Michael Dylan Welch who called into our Zoom meeting live from Seattle.
During the meeting, Michael shared his animated haiku sequence, “Forgiveness,” as well as a fascinating presentation of his essay, “Going Nowhere: Learning Haiku from Pico Iyer,” which explores the virtues of staying home and appreciating the ordinary without going anywhere. Continue reading “Fringe Myrtles Haiku Meeting May 2020”
Fringe Myrtles special meeting for International Haiku Day
The Fringe Myrtles held a special meeting on the evening of Friday 17th April to celebrate International Haiku Day. Of course, due to the Covid-19 lockdown, the meeting took place virtually on ZOOM. This was our second virtual meeting since the outbreak of coronavirus, and it is clear that we are managing to adapt fairly quickly (some faster than others!) to the technological demands. One of the sweet ironies of this whole pandemic experience, particularly in relation to social distancing, is that technology is allowing us to keep in contact more frequently than usual. Continue reading “Fringe Myrtles special meeting for International Haiku Day”
Fringe Myrtles Meeting Report
The Fringe Myrtles is a new haiku group in Melbourne which had its most recent meeting online due to the social distancing regulations associated with the Coronavirus. The theme of the meeting was to write haiku about the impact of Covid-19. And seeing as it was the first Zoom meeting for so many of us, it went as well as could be expected!
Group member Myron Lysenko commented, “It was wonderful to hear and see everybody read out their haiku. So many of our haiku had a focus on what is missing now.” All of the haiku shared with the group touched on this sense of loss – of what life was like before the virus. One member, Robbie Cairns, submitted a haibun which captured the mood of the current circumstances.
Australian Haiku Society 