Leanne Mumford – Australian Haiku Society

Featured Haiku from Windfall 4 & 9

We continue our series from Windfall: Australian Haiku, an annual Australian print journal edited by Beverley George and published by Peter Macrow’s Blue Giraffe Press between 2013 and 2022 (ISSN 1839-5449). The pair of poems I have selected to showcase this time involve birds, smoke and wind.

Members’ News October 2026

Welcome to the Australian Haiku Society Members’ News, October 2026. In this edition we have a round-up of recent AHS activities, a look at what craft aspects make contemporary haiku appealing, a preview of the John Bird Dreaming Award, and a reminder that Echidna Tracks is currently open for submissions for Issue 18.

Featured Haiku from Windfall 1 & 6

Welcome to a new series of featured haiku. This series draws from the journal Windfall: Australian Haiku, which was an annual print journal edited by Beverley George and published by Peter Macrow’s Blue Giraffe Press between 2013 and 2022 (ISSN 1839-5449).

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: