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
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
Haiku Down Under 2022 is a three-day Zoom conference being organised to connect poets from Australia, New Zealand and beyond. The event will run from Friday 7 October to Sunday 9 October 2022. The Haiku Down Under website can be found here. The site provides details of the conference programme and background information about the… Read More Coming Soon: Haiku Down Under 2022
The popularity of the short poetic form, haiku, has grown significantly in recent decades. Originating in Japan, haiku are now written in many languages around the world. As a result, haiku are available in a large number of print and online journals. Links to many of the English-language haiku journals are provided below. People are… Read More English-Language Haiku Journals
In recent months, one of my haiku received an Honourable Mention in a Croatian haiku competition while another received an Honourable Mention in an Irish contest. With a number of countries now running competitions for haiku written in English, I thought it might be helpful to provide links to various of these competition websites. Please… Read More English-Language Haiku Competitions
The most recent issue of the respected British journal Presence (#71, November 2021) included a review of my haiku collection, breaking my journey (Red Moon Press). The review was written by English poet, Julie Mellor. You can find the Presence website here, and you can visit Julie’s personal website here. Julie’s review highlights the multiple… Read More Presence reviews ‘breaking my journey’
For several years, a group of haiku writers has been meeting at The Oaks Brasserie in Canberra. Set under stands of mature oak, cypress and other trees, the venue is perfect for the discussion of haiku and other Japanese forms of poetry. During 2021, our group decided it was time to publish an anthology of… Read More Haiku @ The Oaks Anthology
For several years, delightful teabags featuring haiku by Vanessa Proctor and myself have been available from Monji Tea (located on the Gold Coast, Australia). Tanya from Monji Tea has now expanded her product range and rebranded her business as the Inspirational Tea Co. You can see from Tanya’s website that her range now includes tea,… Read More Monji Tea Haiku: Special Offer
Gregory Piko 