Leanne Mumford – Australian Haiku Society

Upcoming Gadigal Ginkō for Sydney poets: Wednesday 21st October

The next Gadigal Ginkō will take place on Wednesday 21st October, 2026 from 10am. For this spring gathering I’m hoping the weather will allow us to explore a garden at Lavender Bay, across the harbour from Gadigal land. There will be a Plan B in case of unsuitable weather. To join with other Sydney haiku poets for this event, please register by 19th October via the form on my Gadigal Ginko page. There you’ll find an outline of what’s involved in the ginkō, as well as links to reports of previous ginkō.

Leanne Mumford
Convenor, Gadigal Ginkō

Results of the ‘Spring Flowers’ contest, 24 August 2026

A big thank you to everyone who entered the Australian Haiku Society’s “Spring Flowers” haiku contest in August. This was the first time we conducted a contest to correspond with the Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival. The contest was open to haiku poets around Australia and attracted 54 entries, with all states and the ACT represented (ACT: 3, NSW: 23, QLD: 5, SA: 2, TAS: 6, VIC:11, WA: 4). Poets who entered were a mix of established and less experienced poets, including at least nine children – seven from one school and two siblings.

Reminder – ‘Spring Flowers’ contest closing 17th August

Australian poets are reminded that the ‘Spring Flowers’ themed haiku contest is closing soon. You’ll need to submit your poem by 5pm AEST on Monday 17th August. See the previous post for further details of the contest and the entry form you’ll need to use.

Reminder – WA Haiku Poets reading 14th August, 5pm AWST

If you’d like to join the Zoom reading by Western Australian haiku poets on Friday evening 14th August, you’ll need to register to receive the Zoom link. See the earlier post for more information, including a link to the registration form. Registrations close at 12pm AEST on Thursday 13th August.

Confluence journal postcard exchange project

The confluence journal has initiated a northern hemisphere ‘Summer Postcard Project‘, involving the exchange of postcards each containing a Japanese short form poem. David Green, confluence associate editor, writes:

Members’ News August 2026

Welcome to the August Members’ News, our fourth issue for 2026, which touches on the Japanese concept of Ma, discusses recent and upcoming activities, and reports on our successful mentorship trial.

WA Poets Haiku Reading Event, 14th August

The Australian Haiku Society is pleased to announce the second haiku reading event for the year, this time featuring poets from Western Australia. The reading will take place on Friday 14th August from 5pm WA time, which equates to 7pm in the Eastern states and 6.30pm Central Australian time. This will be an online event over Zoom.

The programme will include a brief presentation from AHS, the planned readings by multiple WA poets and an ‘open mic’ session. The event is free and open to all interested poets to attend. Please register by 12pm AEST on 13th August to receive the Zoom link, which we will send out a few days before the event. Link for the Registration form.

Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival ‘Spring Flowers’ Contest opens 1st August

In the lead up to the Sydney Cherry Blossom Festival, being held again in late August at Auburn Botanic Gardens, the Australian Haiku Society is running a haiku contest this year with the theme of ‘Spring Flowers’. We will be inviting Australian poets only to submit one haiku on this theme. The submission period will be from 1st August, closing at 5pm AEST on Monday 17th August. Results will be announced at a haiku event during the festival on Monday 24th August commencing at 10am. Prepare your best work and stay tuned for the submission form, which will be available from 1st August.