Famous Reporter #41

The latest issue of Famous Reporter contains haiku by Lynette Arden, Sandra Simpson, Anne Benjamin, Beverley George, Graham Nunn, Maeve Archibald, Carmel Summers, Sharon Dean, Kathy Kituai, Lorin Ford, Greg Piko, Dawn Bruce, Carla Sari, Susan Murphy, Judith E.P. Johnson, Leonie Bingham, Peter Macrow, Arjun von Caemmerer, John Turner, Bob Jones and Ross Bolleter.

 

the 4th Haiku Pacific Rim Conference Terrigal, September 2009

A report of the 4th Haiku Pacific Rim Conference for Five Bells Vol 17 Nos 1&2, 2010 by convenor, Beverley George

together . . .
the way wind moves
over water
Vanessa Proctor

One of the features that distinguishes haiku from some other poetic genres is its sociable nature, which often includes the sharing of its creation, and interactive linking. Originally the starting verse (hokku) of renga, a writing game, established time, place and season. This opening poem was given individual status by Bashō in the 17th century and renamed haiku by Shiki and friends around 1900. Haiku are often written on a communal walk (ginko) and pasted up for anonymous peer-judging (kukai).

Continue reading “the 4th Haiku Pacific Rim Conference Terrigal, September 2009”

THE BODHI TREE BOOKSTORE CAFÉ HAIKU EVENTS

A Haiku Celebration

Hosted by The Bodhi Tree Bookstore and Café as part of A Celebration of Writing.
Celebrate haiku and related forms at the Bodhi Tree Bookstore Café, on Sunday 1st August from 12 noon. You will be rewarded with: Haiku readings/performances, demonstrations of the deep and powerful connections in Haiga, the beauty of the combination of Haiku and silk art, and the hauntingly disciplined movements of Butoh dance. The winners of the Bodhi Tree Haiku Competition will be reading their winning works and there will be an open reading, so bring along yours or your favourite haiku to read.

Presenters:
Haiga – Maureen Sexton, Amanda Joy
Haiku – Amanda Joy, Maureen Sexton, Ross Bolleter, Rose Van Son
Butoh – Roeli Joosten
Haiku and Silk Art – Annie Otness

Continue reading “THE BODHI TREE BOOKSTORE CAFÉ HAIKU EVENTS”

Bindii 6 August 2010

BINDII MEETING 6 August 2010

Present: Marilyn Linn, Lyn Arden, Susan Kay, Athena Zaknic, Dianne Hill, Margaret Dingle (Fensom).
Apologies: Alain and Elsa Rozanes, Pam Brow, Alex Ask, Maeve Archibald, Dawn Colsey.

We continued our discussion of the haiku form and also touched on haiga, Renku, tanka. Members workshopped haiku brought to the meeting.

September Meeting will be held at the Box Factory on Saturday 4 September at 10.30 am – 1 pm. Please bring your own tea/coffee and lunch. Activity will be decided on the day.

October Meeting: we decided to make this a ginko (haiku walk) at the Himeji Gardens in South Terrace. Meet at the Himeji Garden and bring lunch.

Lynette Arden 9 August 2010

The Tenth Anniversary Celebrations for the Katikati Haiku Pathway, New Zealand

by Vanessa Proctor

The Katikati Haiku Pathway in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty is an attractive embodiment of haiku, where the abstract becomes concrete. A total of 42 haiku are inscribed onto boulders along the Uretara Stream. Each poem has been carefully selected by a committee to reflect its surroundings, and to walk along the pathway is to literally take a trip into the world of poetry. The brainchild of Catherine Mair, the Pathway was one of New Zealand’s Millennium Projects and recently celebrated its tenth anniversary.

I was fortunate enough to attend the celebrations on New Zealand Queen’s Birthday long weekend, along with my family. There was an excellent turn out of poets and supporters, including the Japanese Consul to New Zealand and his wife, and we enjoyed viewing an impressive selection of bonsai as well as ikebana inspired by poems on the pathway. Sandra Simpson, Secretary of the Katikati Haiku Pathway Committee, announced the winners of the Katikati Haiku Competition. Particularly striking was the quality of the entries in the junior section. Two Japanese students demonstrated how to wear a yukata, the traditional summer dress of Japanese women, and there was a rousing Taiko drum performance by Wai Taiko.

July 31, 2010: Cloudcatchers Winter Ginko 18

Most of us have accepted ‘beach’ as a summer kigo. However, participants in the winter ginko of the Cloudcatchers (Far North Coast of NSW) were obliged to re-think that concept, as it was held on Thursday 22 July at Shelly Beach, East Ballina. In spite of the FNC reputation for warm sunny winters, the day was appropriately ‘wintery’, with an overcast sky, a chilly breeze off a grey ocean and even some spots of rain. This did not daunt the twelve poets, who produced as much insightful writing as ever. The tide was low, so the rock pools featured in a number of haiku, along with sleeping gulls, hardy swimmers and the perpetually fascinating ocean.

It was Max Ryan, who put into words the thoughts of many: ‘You can go to the beach and wander along it yourself, and write haiku. But you never get as much out of it as you do when you come to a ginko.’

The next step was lunching together at the Shaw’s Bay Hotel, and now the post-ginko round-robin (three each, by email) is in full swing. Our spring ginko will be held on 14 October, and any poet who wishes to join us is welcome. Contact:quendrythyoung@bigpond.com

Quendryth Young
Cloudcatchers Coordinator