Hi there,

I write haiku and contemporary poetry.

Since 2003, my haiku have appeared regularly in major international haiku journals and in anthologies such as Haiku 21: an anthology of contemporary English-language haiku, A Vast Sky: An Anthology of Contemporary World Haiku, Nest Feathers (selected haiku from The Heron’s Nest), The Wonder Code, The Awakened One: Buddha-Themed Haiku from Around the World, and Haiku in English: The First Hundred Years. 

My haiku awards include Second Prize in the ‘Kusamakura’ International Haiku Competition (Japan), a Touchstone Award from The Haiku Foundation (USA), an International Sakura Award in the Vancouver Haiku Invitational (Canada) and First Prize in the New Zealand Poetry Society’s International Haiku Competition.

I also write longer forms of poetry including free verse and prose poetry. These works have appeared in journals and anthologies such as Westerly, Poetry for the Planet, Meniscus, StylusLit, Creatrix, Authora Australis, Poetry d’Amour, The Canberra Times, Communion Arts Journal, Verity La, Vine Leaves Literary Journal, Shot Glass, The Best Australian Poems and the Australian Poetry Anthology. My poetry has been Long-listed for the Liquid Amber Poetry Prize, Short-listed for the Page Seventeen Poetry Competition, Commended in the Glen Phillips Poetry Prize and the New Zealand International Poetry Competition, and awarded joint First Place in the WB Yeats Poetry Prize for Australia.

My haiku collection, titled breaking my journey, was published by Red Moon Press in 2020. Previously, I collaborated with Vanessa Proctor from Sydney in writing Blowing Up Balloons: baby poems for parents (Red Moon Press, 2017).

My home is in Australia’s national capital city: Canberra. The Capital Region has an active arts scene spanning poetry, sculpture, painting, theatre, music and more. I trust you enjoy reading about poetry events in the region, and I hope my poems connect with you.

somewhere someone
feels the warmth –
last summer’s haiku

Many of the photos featured on this site were taken at Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve (Canberra) and at Surf Beach (Narooma). The content on this website is protected by Copyright. Please seek permission before using any images or text.

Cheers,
Gregory Piko