Japanese haiku writers often reference locations by name, thereby inviting the reader to bring their knowledge of place into the poem. Take, for example, this haiku by Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902): biting into a persimmona bell resoundsHōryū-ji While Shiki did not write this haiku at the Hōryū-ji Temple, it’s thought he referenced the temple because it… Read More Aboriginal Place Names in Haiku
The Poetry Editor and publisher of StylusLit, Rosanna Licari, kindly selected my poem, Radiant Arrows, to appear in Issue 13 of the journal. StylusLit is an online literary journal that publishes poetry, short stories, interviews and reviews. You can read Issue 13 here. Radiant Arrows was written in response to the painting, Composition, by Lyubov… Read More Radiant Arrows
The first Haiku Down Under conference was held via Zoom in October 2022. You can find details of the conference including background on the New Zealand and Australian conference organisers here. Haiku Down Under was a great success. Registrations, which exceeded 200, included poets from Australia, New Zealand and around the world. To commemorate the… Read More Haiku Down Under Anthology: 2022
Each year, Red Moon Press produces an anthology showcasing some of the best haiku published in the previous twelve months. The 2022 Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku: skipping stones was released in February 2023. Editor-in-chief, Jim Kacian, and a team of 10 staff review haiku from books, print journals, online journals and haiku competitions… Read More Red Moon Anthology: skipping stones
Western Australian Poets Inc. (WA Poets) were kind enough to include two of my poems in the December 2022 issue of their online journal, Creatrix (#59). Peter Jeffery and Mike Greenacre were the selectors for this issue. My two poems were titled We Met in a Valley and Potential Energy, with the latter poem being… Read More Potential Energy
Several years ago, I stayed in a Scottish tower-castle in Aberdeenshire. These buildings are large, fortified homes often featuring one or more circular turrets. The solid stone construction of a tower-castle exudes a sense of history and permanence. I subsequently wrote a poem, titled Velvet Lady, which was inspired by my stay in Aberdeenshire. The… Read More Velvet Lady
In 2022, Liquid Amber Press conducted a poetry competition which asked entrants to respond to a number of prompts relating to the theme of ‘encounter’. The long-listed poems were subsequently published in Poetry of Encounter: The Liquid Amber Prize Anthology, edited by Anne M. Carson and Rose Lucas. First Prize was awarded to Reneé Pettitt-Shipp… Read More Liquid Amber Poetry Prize 2022
WA Poets Inc publishes the quarterly online poetry journal, Creatrix. WA Poets is the peak body for the development of poets and poetry in Western Australia. Each issue features haiku and longer forms of poetry, with haiku and poetry prize winners selected from the four issues published over the calendar year. In 2022, the Creatrix… Read More Creatrix Haiku Prize: 2022
Gregory Piko 