Committee

Leanne Mumford is an Australian writer and photographer who enjoys practising her crafts wherever she goes. A keen traveller, Leanne’s haiku often reveal a strong sense of place. Since 2012 more than 200 of her haiku, plus haiga and haibun, have appeared in various Australian and international journals and anthologies. Her haiku ‘wind song’ won a Touchstone Award for Individual Poems 2019. Leanne is a co-founder of the Haiku Down Under conference, first held in October 2022 and currently being organised for August 2024. She convenes the Gadigal Ginko casual events in Sydney. Her personal website is lemumford.id.au

Rob Scott began his haiku journey while living in Tokyo in the mid-90s where he became a member of the MIFA haiku circle. After writing haiku for almost 20 years, he released his first two collections, Out of Nowhere and Down to the Wire, both published by Red Moon Press (2016). In 2014, Rob completed his Master’s thesis entitled The History of Australian Haiku and the Emergence of a Local Accent, presenting a paper on his findings at the Second International Haiku Conference (2015) in Krakow, entitled Australian Haiku—Is it a Thing? He currently lives in Melbourne and is a co-convener of the Fringe Myrtles haiku group.

Lynette Arden convened the Bindii Japanese Genre Poetry Group from 2009 to 2019 and was Vice President of AHS from 2012 to 2017. She has travelled to Japan on two literary tours following the trail of Matsuo Basho. Her latest poetry collection is Wild Seed. Her first poetry collection A Pause in the Conversation was published in New Poets 15 (Wakefield Press 2010). website Lynette publishes Echidna Tracks

Her website: http://www.lynettearden.com/

Rose van Son writes in all genres.  Her first love is poetry, particularly haiku.  She loves nature, its pleasures and senses, its meditation capabilities. Her collection of mostly bird photographs and poetry appears in  Nature’s Warehouse: Birds in Focus. Her collaboration with two South West artists in WA resulted in an exhibition at the Zig Zag Gallery printmaking and lino-cuts with haiku attached. A collection of the artworks and appeared soon after. Rose turns to haiku and senryu for solace, for enjoying with a cup of tea. Her collection of poems Cloak of Letters was published by Sunline Press 2020.  Rose is a selector for Creatrix Haiku online.

Lyn Reeves was involved in the beginnings of HaikuOz and has served as Secretary, Vice-President and committee member. She was haiku editor for Famous Reporter (1994- 2012), occasional editor for paper wasp, and founder and convener of Watersmeet haiku group. Her first haiku collection, Walking the Tideline, appeared in 2001.

Myron began studying and writing modern haiku towards the end of the twentieth century. He has had one book of haiku published (a rosebush grabs my sleeve Flat Chat Poets 2005) and won an international haiku prize in Japan in 2004—the Suruga Baika Literary Award for Haiku. His haiku have been published in many overseas and Australian haiku journals. Myron was part of RookuTroupe—a trio of haiku poets instrumental in having haiku published on Melbourne’s suburban trains in 2006. Myron conducts ginko in scenic surroundings in Victoria.

Vanessa Proctor began writing haiku while living in Japan in the early ’90s. She was a founding member of HaikuOz, she founded the Red Dragonflies haiku group and co-founded the Zazen international haiku group. Her latest publication is the eChapbook Jacaranda Baby (Snapshot Press, 2012).

Julia Wakefield has been writing haiku since she joined the Bindii group seven years ago. She is a published poet in other genres as well as haiku, and is also a visual artist, specialising in printmaking and illustration.  Some of her haiku can be found on Haiku Bindii . Julia enjoys attempting other Japanese forms, but she finds the haiku a sufficient challenge in itself. She runs workshops for newcomers to the form. Website: http://www.juliawakefield.com.au/