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Poems in the Waiting Room

Ruth Arnison has kindly sent the autumn edition of the three-fold brochure - this season includes a haiku by the late Jeanette Stace, a longer poem by Barbara Strang that is a witty rethink of Sea Fever (Op-shop Fever), and a poem by Lynn Davidson, among others. The "poetry cards" are distributed to medical waiting rooms and rest homes in Otago (including Dunedin), Southland, Scott Base and Samoa, an interesting combination of destinations to be sure. To find out more go to the website.

Wanted: 25 NZ Tanka Poets  

M. Kei, editor of Atlas Poetica and the Take Five Anthologies 2009-2010, is seeking published tanka from New Zealand poets - 25 of them to be exact. He is looking for one previously published poem per poet, together with date of publication and where the poem was published. Please send your poems via email to Patricia Prime, who is co-ordinating the NZ material. The goal, M. Kei says, is to draw attention to New Zealand poets.

Katikati Haiku Pathway Throws a Party

And you're all invited. The Haiku Pathway turns 10 this year and to mark the occasion there will be a bit of a bash on Sunday, June 6 (Queen's Birthday Weekend). Starting at 1pm in Katikati's Memorial Hall there will be a public event to dedicate 10 new boulders (funding applications being written furiously), announce the winners of this year's Katikati Haiku Contest (see the Competitions page, closes April 16) and to enjoy some Japanese-theme entertainment. Please consider this as a personal invitation. If you'd like to come you might find this website useful for accommodation options. See you there!

Conferences

1: World Haiku Festival 2010, April 9-11, Japan

World Haiku Festival is the flagship activity of the World Haiku Club which was established in 1998 in the United Kingdom to help disseminate and develop what the club calls the ‘world haiku', the shortest form of poetry born originally in Japan but now spread across the whole world, hence the name.

The first WHF was held in London and Oxford in 2000. Since then it has taken place in various countries including Italy, Britain, Japan (in Akita Prefecture), Romania and India. The year 2010 will see its tenth anniversary and is being held in Sasebo and across Nagasaki Prefecture. Its main theme will be ‘The beginner's mind and the essence of haiku'. Beginners and the uninitiated will therefore be especially welcome to take part in this event.

The World Haiku Festival 2010, Sasebo (Nagasaki), Japan, is from April 9-11, with an optional 3-day tour afterwards. Saesbo is about an hour by bus from Nagasaki Airport with the bus stop only a 2-minute walk from the festival venue.

The festival includes workshops, papers, public lectures, haiku-reading, and other events including koto and shakuhachi music (Japanese harp and flute), tea ceremony, Japanese dance, plus tours around Nagasaki Prefecture (hot springs, Hirado, ceramic centres, Nagasaki, Shimabara, Unzen and Omura). Note that there will be separate sessions in English only. The sessions in Japanese will offer no translation. The festival is still seeking speakers in English to deliver papers.

The organisers have a list of hotels, which are offering discounts to festival participants. For full details go to the website.

2: Asian Festival of Children's Content, May 6-9, Singapore

Jade Yong from the National Book Development Council of Singapore (Book Council), a nonprofit charitable organisation set up in 1969, has been in touch to introduce the inaugural Asian Festival of Children's Content (AFCC) About 300 to 400 delegates from all over Asia, Australia and New Zealand, North America and Europe are expected to attend.

The Book Council has been organising the Asian Children's Writers & Illustrators Conference (ACWIC) for the past 10 years. The new conference incorporates that and will feature new programmes, including the Asian Children's Media Market, Children's Book Award, Children's Writers Award as well as workshops and master classes.

For more information go to the website.

3: Haiku Canada, May 21-23, Montreal, Canada

Unfortunately, beyond the information above there are no further details on the Haiku Canada website, but there may be a contact email address.

4: Seabeck Haiku Getaway, November 4-7, Washington State, USA

An annual haiku "retreat" organised by Haiku Northwest on the Kitsap Peninsula. $US199 for a long weekend of meals, accommodations, and all the haiku you can carry! Workshops, presentations, writing and a book fair. Register by September 30. For full details, including a location map, see the website.

Contest Updates

The 2009 Tanka Splendour Awards turned out to be the final bow of the contest. Organiser Jane Reichhold says on her AHA Poetry website that last year marked the 20th anniversary of the contest, and its conclusion. A book of all the winners from the 20 years has been compiled and is available to purchase. See the website for details.

Pat Prime passes on the news that the annual A-Bomb Haiku Contest organised in Japan is no longer accepting entries in English. As the contest has never had a website and information on its rules, etc., has generally been difficult to come by, Haiku NewZ will no longer list it.

Congratulations

To Patricia Prime and Sandra Simpson who were among the 11 winners of A Little Haiku Contest (Croatia). The theme was the International Year of Rapprochement Between Cultures.

suicide bombing
yet still we celebrate
the Year of the Tiger

- Patricia Prime

To Sandra Simpson whose haiku in The Heron's Nest in 2009 received enough votes in the annual Readers' Choice Awards to gain recognition. Favourite poem of the year went to Jim Kacian, while poet of the year was Yu Chang (both US).

To Doc Drumheller and Ron Riddell who both have work featured in the annual anthology World Haiku 2010, along with 12 New Zealand youngsters (aged from 10-13). Details about the anthology are under Publications on this page.

Die like a shark
or be forced to live
inside a goldfish bowl

- Doc Drumheller

To Sandra Simpson, Ernie Berry, Andre Surridge and Dick Whyte who have poems in the latest edition of the annual Red Moon anthology, this year titled where the wind turns. For ordering details go to Publications on this page.

cloud cover -
the mole on her forearm
darkens

- Andre Surridge

To Ernie Berry who has been awarded an Honourable Mention in the Irish Haiku Society Contest:

September wind
a better view
of compost bins

Other results:

Turtle Light Haiku Chapbook Contest (US).

Penumbra Haiku Contest (US).

FWEE Haiku Contest (US). "Adam from Auckland" was judged the best of the international entries for this contest on a hydropower theme. The winners scroll through as you watch.

Presence Awards (UK).

Submissions

1: Bravado is calling for up to 5 poems per poet in any Japanese form for its July issue, guest edited by Barabra Strang. Email poems with "haikai" in the subject line, along with a 50-word bio and contact details.
Closes: March 14.

2: Going Down Swinging is an Australian literary journal that is marking its 30th birthday by publishing, among other things, international haiku in various languages in Issue #30. Payment to contributors of $A10 per haiku/senryu/haiga.
Closes: March 31.
For details please go to the website.

3: World Haiku 2011 is seeking submission of 8 haiku in your mother tongue, but to be considered for publication you must be a member of the World Haiku Association - North America $US35/year, South America, Africa, Middle East & Asia (excluding Japan) $US10, Japan 6000 yen, Oceania $US20, paid by International Money Order, IRC or cash (sent at own risk). Inquiries about membership to Ms Sayumi Kamakura.

Send 8 haiku to Ban'ya Natsuishi, including your name, year of birth and nationality. If sending in a language other than English or French, please include a translation in either of these languages.
Closes: May 2.

4: Robert Epstein is looking for haiku or tanka "written with awareness of one's own mortality (not someone else's)" for a "death" poem anthology he is editing. As an example, he gives:

that's what
dandelions do . . .
blow away

- Stanford M. Forrester, Poetalk

To read something about Robert and a small selection of his own haiku, go here.

5: Berry Blue Haiku is a haiku journal for kids and welcomes submissions from writers and illustrators, although editor Gisele LeBlanc asks that the submissions guidelines are read first. Read the illustrator guidelines here. The editor is looking for traditional haiku, "fun haiku" and senyru, as well as articles on writing haiku/senryu; or on haiku masters such as Basho, Chiyo-ni, Issa, Shiki, and Buson, etc. "If it relates to haiku/senryu in any way, we'd love to see it." Puzzle pages, crafts incorporating haiku and lessons would also be of interest.

Submission requirements:
• Send up to 5 poems, or one article/craft/puzzle page per submission, pasted in the body of your email.
• Indicate in your cover letter if your submission is simultaneous, and notify us immediately if another publication accepts it.
• For articles longer than 250 words, please double-space.
• Specify the age level of your poems, articles, and lessons.
• We prefer to review unpublished material, but will consider reprints. Please indicate in your cover letter where and when the submission first appeared.
• We ask that you wait for a response before submitting to us again.
• Format your subject title with either Haiku/Senryu (haiku is fine for either) or Article/Craft/Puzzle Submission and if it is season-themed. ex: Haiku Submission-Winter Themed.

Payments are offered. Non-fiction submission length: Children up to 5: 50-150 words; 5-11 year olds: 150-500 words; 12 and up: 500-1000 words.

Submission and/or questions may be sent to the editor. Subscribe to the editor's blog for updates.

Publications

where the wind turns is the title of the 2010 Red Moon Anthology. It contains 161 haiku, 12 linked verses and essays by poets from all over the world, including New Zealand. To order, go to the website. These volumes, in my experience, are well worth having.

wind is a new e-book by Kuni Simizu, featuring his digital art combined with haiku by poets from all over the world, including Ron Riddell of New Zealand. The book is available to read for free online. Use the magnifying glass tool in the top right corner to zoom in to the pages.

World Haiku 2010 is the sixth annual edition of this anthology put out by the World Haiku Association and edited by Ban'ya Natsuishi. Poets from all over the world feature, including several from Japan who are writing in English. There are also essays and a report on the 2009 World Haiku Conference. Half the book is in Japanese. ISBN 978-4-87944-156-0, $US15. For more information email Ban'ya Natsuishi.

wild camomile is a collection of 81 haiku by Waihi writer and teacher Owen Bullock. Owen will be known to many as the former co-editor of Kokako and, as well as being a fine writer, is also a musician and juggler. The author doesn't draw a distinction between haiku and senryu and the poems happily slip their own way. The book has been 10 years in the making.

wild camomile is published by Post Pressed in Queensland (ISBN 978-1921214-56-1). The book is also available direct from Owen, write to 22 Silverton Road, Waihi 3610, enclosing $NZ16 (includes post & packing). You may also find it at Books A-Plenty in Grey Street, Tauranga; or Parson's Bookshop in the Auckland Art Gallery, 26 Wellesley Street East, central Auckland.

the taste of nashi is still available for sale - the third haiku anthology of work in New Zealand. Order your copy, or one for a friend, using this form. There are various prices - including for NZPS members and those buying from overseas.

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