Ozku, the haiku-dedicated poetry group formed by Dawn Bruce in January 2010, has now incorporated moonrise, a tanka specific discussion and workshop group, into its format.
Ozku and moonrise will meet bi-monthly at haijin Dawn Bruce’s home in St.Leonards, with members Margaret Grace, Beatrice Yell, Margaret Conley, Joyce Christie and Joanne Watcyn-Jones, all enthusiastic students of haiku and tanka.
Joanne Watcyn-Jones
Leader: Kathy Kituai
What could be added to the report (see below) written by our scribe,
Gerry Jacobson, for the first meeting of Canberra Tanka Group? All
that needs to be said is that were are deciding between ‘Limestone
Poets’ or ‘Limestone’ for the name of our group, and will definitely
know by the next meeting.
Continue reading “INAUGURAL MEETING OF CANBERRA TANKA GROUP, 26TH FEBRUARY”
At the Bowerbird Tanka Group meeting on September 19, 2010 at Pearl Beach, presenters Kathy Kituai and Amelia Fielden, were joined by three delegates who each gave a brief talk on a favourite tanka written by someone whom they have never met.
To read these appraisals, which are attracting much interest and favourable comment, please visit www.eucalypt.info ; select Articles and then Bowerbird Tanka Group
Convenor: Beverley George
Editor: Eucalypt
On Sunday 19th September 2010, 16 enthusiastic participants and 2 presenters, from locations such as Canberra, Sydney, the Northern Beaches, and the Newcastle region, arrived at Wirramina for the fifth workshop of the Bowerbird Tanka Group. Beverley George’s home, with expansive views of the freshwater lagoon, was a stimulating and delightful venue for this convivial meeting. Everyone was very appreciative of Beverley for again convening and hosting the Bowerbird workshop within her Pearl Beach home.
All twelve members of the Harbourside Poets, U3A Harbourside North area, were present for Bev George’s tanka presentation on 24th August.
Bev gave us a relaxed but highly professional talk about the history of tanka and the different styles used today. There was much interaction and the learning process proceeded at a high level. We enjoyed a coffee break after an hour and here Bev was able to chat personally to members and this time also allowed members to browse through her wide display of haiku and tanka books.
We then settled to reading and work shopping prepared tanka written by each member.
Here we were so fortunate to have Bev’s invaluable skill of honing our work to move from the ordinary to highly polished gems … such an easy way to learn the intricacies of the beautiful form of tanka. Every member was delighted with the learned input and the sensitive manner in which it was executed by Bev.
Many thanks for an exquisite two hours Bev!
Dawn Bruce
In June I was invited to give a tanka workshop for Warrah Writers at Murrurrundi.
Murrurrundi is a delightful country town with fascinating rock formations nearby. The meeting place for the Warrah Writersis a room at the railway station which looked bleak when we entered but was soon made cosy and appealing by enterprising members. Two rugs were laid on the floor and four matching blue cloths on each long table. Two antique lamps were placed on the tables and a fire was expertly laid in the fireplace. In no time it was blazing and warmed the room effectively for the two and a half hours the workshop lasted. One slight interruption occurred when an 80 truck coal train passed by only feet away.
A stage two workshop for Warrah Writers is being planned for next year and also an address to a reading group called Scrolls, based near Quirindi . Scrolls was established over forty years ago and has over thirty active members.
Beverley George
to read a moving tanka sequence about Gaza by Anne Benjamin
On March 14, a full room of supporters and fans gathered at Baulkham Hills Library, Castle Hill, for the launch of rick rack, Julie Thorndyke’s book of tanka poetry. It was a wonderful event with a variety of readings with complementary music. Tim, Julie’s husband welcomed the guests and introduced Beverley George who launched the book with a short history of tanka’s origins and readings from Izumi Shikibu.
Julie presented tanka from her book, talking about her tanka journey with each tanka or sequence displayed against stunning visual images. The audience was moved by the impact and effectiveness of Julie’s tanka that covered the gamut of human experience.
There were other readings – a very moving sequence by Beverley George and Meredith Collins, then Julie and Beverley readLocket, their prize winning tanka sequence. The special guest, well known Japanese poet, Mariko Kitakubo, beautifully dressed in a silk kimono, read some of her tanka in Japanese, with Beverley reading the English translations by Amelia Fielden. Mariko accompanied the readings with the Hamohn, a Japanese musical instrument. There were also readings by the Tanka Huddle group from Eastwood Hills Fellowship of Australian Writers ( Those present were Carolyn Alfonzetti, Jan Foster, Beverley George, Anne Howard, Carmel Summers, David Terelinck, Julie Thorndyke).
The star of the show, though, was Julie’s wonderful tanka, which demonstrated why Julie is considered to be one of the leading tanka writers in Australia today.
Carmel Summers
Australian Haiku Society 