New Zealand Poetry Society Te Hunga Tito Ruri o Aotearoa
Haiku Aotearoa 2008
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HAIKU AOTEAROA 2008
This happy bunch comprises most of the poets who were at the launch of 'the taste of nashi' at Haiku Aotearoa in Christchurch. The picture was taken by Beverley George (clearly a paparazzi in her day job) and supplied by Cyril Childs.
Back row, from left: Nola Gazzard, Owen Bullock, Elaine Riddell, Shirley May, Jeffrey Harpeng, Sandra Simpson, Helen Bascand, Lynn Tara Austin, Elise Mei, Joanna Preston, Helen Yong, Rosemary Scott, Janine Sowerby.
Middle: John O'Connor, Andre Surridge, Karen Peterson Butterworth, Greeba Brydges-Jones, Richard von Sturmer, Helen Lowe, Sally Holmes Midgley.
Front: Judith Walsh, Margaret Beverland, Kirsten Cliff, Nola Borrell, Barbara Strang and Cyril Childs.
The Small White Teapot haiku group organised the April 18-20 conference in Christchurch, and offered a full programme of discussions, workshops, a ginko, the launch of the taste of nashi (the third New Zealand haiku anthology), and a screening of Tanka Films by Richard von Sturmer. (The group also managed to turn on some fabulous autumn weather for the 30 participants.)
HA08 co-ordinator Barbara Strang welcomed everyone in front of a board full of small white teapots made from paper, each one containing its own haiku, while SWT member Nola Gazzard had provided two bowls of ikebana flowers, one for each workshop room. Others on the organising committee were Helen Yong, Judith Walsh and Anne Edmunds.
Cyril Childs made the keynote address on Friday night to open the event: The State of Haiku in New Zealand. As well as discussing some of the things happening here, he also described the state of haiku in Britain (in 2001, read the article he quoted here) and, with the aid of overhead transparencies indicated where haiku might fit in terms of "mainstream" poetry - in NZ closer together and with more overlap than in the UK, but nowhere near as cohesive as in Japan. An Australian visitor felt their situation was different again, with "molehills" of activity and strength, but desolate plains in between.
At the end of his thoughtful speech, he was compelled to right a wrong with "an explanation, an apology and a presentation". In 2002 he and Joanna Preston co-edited the SWT anthology, listening to the rain. It went on to win a Merit Book Award from the Haiku Society of America. However, for various good reasons, Cyril had never given Joanna her certificate. So, just 5 years late, he was able to set things right.
LEFT: Barbara Strang welcomes participants. RIGHT: Joanna Preston shows off her 5-year-old award with a red-faced Cyril Childs.
A surprise event was the display of a miniature haiku book made by SWT member and hobby bookbinder Alan Clarke. He has made six of these treasures, one for each of his grandchildren and one for himself (in fact he made nine, but not every one met his standards). The poems are printed in 2 point (yes, 2 point) and collated into a 44-page book, which then sits inside a book-like case, which itself sits inside a slip cover. Alan brought along magnifiers so we could all share his labour of love.
Alan Clarke with his haiku book - the book is actually the white insert in the red. In the picture on the right, the poems run down the middle of the sheet, two on each line.
Saturday was a busy day: First up a choice of workshops (beginners led by Kerrin Sharpe; or experienced led by Karen Peterson Butterworth and Nola Borrell); then a choice between tanka led by Owen Bullock and a discussion on creating a NZ sajiki led by Barbara Strang. In the afternoon more workshops (haibun led by Joanna Preston; or renga led by Jeffrey Harpeng) before a discussion between Richard von Sturmer and Owen Bullock on ways to get work published, both conventional and less so.
The sajiki, by the way, is going to be co-ordinated by Joanna Preston and will, eventually, find a home on this site. HA08 participants certainly got it off to a rolling start with a whiteboard filled with suggestions.
A highlight of the festival was the launch of the taste of nashi - over 200 poems by 60 writers from around the country - published by the Windrift haiku group of Wellington and edited by Karen and Nola. Festival numbers more than doubled as writers, family and friends arrived for the launch. The honours were done by NZ Poetry Society president Laurice Gilbert with thanks for this much-anticipated volume flying in appropriate directions. All poets in the volume who were present were invited to read - from well-known names such as John O'Connor and Greeba Brydges-Jones, both of Christchurch, to the newer voices of Kirsten Cliff and Margaret Beverland, both of Tauranga.
LEFT: Anthology editors Nola Borell (left) and Karen Peterson Butterworth.
RIGHT: The Western Bay posse, from left, Kirsten Cliff, Margaret Beverland, Sandra Simpson and Shirley May.
Poems were also read on behalf of other authors who couldn't be present - the late Bertus de Jonge, the late Bernie Gadd, the late Veronica Haughey, 12-year-old Harry Frentz, Frankie MacMillan and Ernie Berry, among them.
Catering was done by Anne Edmunds (SWT) and Nola, and it was a lively, happy affair. Good book sales too, judging by the number of people clutching their copies.
LEFT: Elaine Riddell and John O'Connor at the launch.
RIGHT: Also enjoying the evening were Joanna Preston, Laurice Gilbert and Ursula Rose.
Tanka Films is a collection of 26 "short" films which accompany the tanka of Richard von Sturmer and read by him. It was shown last year as an installation piece at the National Film Archives in Wellington and was a superb addition to the HA08 schedule. Richard said afterwards that none of the natural events filmed had been staged, although he occasionally used friends to create certain scenes. One viewer described the piece as "mesmerising".
After all that work and excitement, a ginko was a grand way to begin Sunday - especially with a frost being beaten back by bright sunshine. The Bishop Julius Hostel backs on to Ilam Gardens, a lovely set of spaces, including a leafy riverside walk, a lawn area of specimen trees, the former Ilam homestead (now the University Club) and an expanse of playing fields. Beverley George was startled sniffing tree bark by a passing dog walker, but the prize went to Owen Bullock and Jeffrey Harpeng who found a $10 note floating in the stream. Owen was fastest and got to it first but then presented it to Jeff for a copy of his book on sale inside! Richard von Sturmer meanwhile was as busy collecting film images for his next movie as mental images for his poems.
LEFT: Nola Gazzard pauses in her ginko writing, while Cyril Childs and Mary Fitzgerald labour on.
RIGHT: Jeff Harpeng and Patsy Turner in the field.
Many haiku were written and shared, with discussion on them taking place amid a sense of fellowship and fun.
LEFT: Andre Surridge comes up with some more prize winners.
RIGHT: Owen Bullock and Jeff Harpeng share work, watched by Richard von Sturmer.
A final discussion ended the formal proceedings - Where are we Going? The panel comprised Sandra Simpson (editor of Haiku NewZ webpages), Laurice Gilbert (NZPS president), Jeffrey Harpeng (Queensland haiku poets) and, a late addition, Beverley George (president of the Australia Haiku Society aka Haiku Oz). The idea of a separate haiku society was bandied around once more and, once more, found few takers. Sandra encouraged any of those present who were not NZPS members to sign up, while Laurice revealed that Creative NZ funding for NZPS had been halved this year. However, she is determined to reach out to all areas of the country and remains committed to making the society a truly national organisation. Feedback on this website was uniformly positive.
Read notes taken at the discussion here.
RIGHT: Australia Haiku Society president and Eucalypt editor Beverley George.
Judith Walsh summed up the weekend on behalf of SWT - looking desperately tired but elated nonetheless - and gave a round of thanks to all involved. She said her instinct to stand up at Haiku Festival Aotearoa in Wellington (2005) and offer to host the next one may have been rash, but they had all enjoyed making it happen.
There was one more unscheduled event for those lucky enough to be around when it happened. Cyril Childs had brought an audio tape of Billy Collins talking about haiku and reading his haiku-inspired poem Japan which, thanks to Joanna Preston and her machine, provided a fitting finale.
the path
that everyone takes
autumn
- Nola Borrell, after Basho
(with a tiny edit from Sandra Simpson)
