Haiku @ The Oaks

On a sunny Canberra autumn Thursday 13th March, a smaller group of haiku poets than usual met for lunch and discussions under the trees at The Oaks Brasserie, Yarralumla. Around the table were Hazel Hall, Kathy Kituai, Greg Piko and Marietta McGregor. Glenys Ferguson and Jan Dobb were unable to attend and their enthusiastic participation was missed this time. Talk at first turned to poetry in general, with reminiscences about first moments of reading work to an audience, sometimes many years ago in individuals’ writing lives, and the feelings engendered on those occasions.

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Portarlington Haiku Society celebrates International Haiku Poetry Day

Members of the Portarlington Haiku Society celebrated International Haiku Poetry Day by hanging their ‘serviette haiku’ along a wire fence leading into town from the pier, capturing the attention of those arriving from Melbourne on the daily ferry. The group met at a local cafe for lunch before securing their prepared material serviettes with staples along the fence line.
The PHS continue to run their own monthly kukai, the results published in a regular newsletter, ‘Wingspan’.

Submissions for Echidna Tracks 15 will close at the end of April

This is a reminder that submissions for Echidna Tracks Issue 15 will close at the end of April. We are seeking modern and excellent haiku and senryu that explore all areas of living in contemporary Australia.  

Gavin Austin and Marilyn Humbert will be the haiku editors for this issue. We invite your best and previously unpublished haiku/senryu on any topic that stirs your imagination. Australia is a society that comprises many environments, cultures, and lifestyles. We welcome diversity in submissions. Please explore our categories for inspiration. If you choose a seasonal reference, it should be compatible with the publication’s Winter/Spring time frame.

A reminder that submissions will close at the end of April 2025 for Echidna Tracks 15
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In Memoriam – Cynthia Rowe

It is my sad duty to inform the Australian and worldwide haiku community of the death of Cynthia Rowe on 6th April at the age of 86. Cynthia succeeded Beverley George to the position of President of the Australian Haiku Society in 2011, and served until Vanessa Proctor took over in 2016. Cynthia was also the editor of the Haiku Xpressions section of FreeXpresSion Magazine for many years. AHS will be publishing a full tribute in recognition of Cynthia’s many contributions to the haiku community. For the time being, with the family’s permission, we would like to let everyone know about the two memorial services that have been organised to honour and celebrate Cynthia’s life.
– In Sydney at St Mark’s Anglican Church, Darling Point on 23rd April 2025 at 12.00pm
– In Melbourne at St John’s Anglican Church, Toorak on 30th April 2025 at 11.00am
There will be a celebration of life held after each service.
Leanne Mumford
President, Australian Haiku Society