Australian singer/songwriter, Stu Larsen, embarked on a major project in 2024. His project was to embrace Solitude for the entire calendar year. Each month, Stu experienced solitude in a different location around the world, writing a new song and posting a ‘demo’ version of the song on YouTube. Stu calls these recordings ‘demos’ but, in… Read More Stu Larsen: Solitude, New Zealand
Morioka is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture in the northern part of Honshu Island, Japan. The Morioka International Haiku Contest was introduced in 2019 to mark the 130th anniversary of Morioka attaining city status. The 6th Contest, conducted in 2024, was judged by Michael Dylan Welch and Toshio Kimura. The Contest attracted a total… Read More 6th Morioka International Haiku Contest
Earlier in 2024, the journal Presence (UK) published a haiku of mine about a man and his dog. It seems people enjoy haiku about dogs and puppies as the haiku was subsequently voted among the top 10 in the Best of Issue Award (it actually placed 6th). The haiku that appeared in Presence was: his… Read More Dogs and Puppies
The second Haiku Down Under conference will take place via Zoom on 16-18 August 2024. The conference provides an opportunity for writers from New Zealand and Australia to discuss haiku and related subjects through presentations, workshops, poetry readings, writing sessions and engagement with poets from other countries. Haiku Down Under 2024 is being organised by… Read More How to Register for Haiku Down Under 2024
The Koto City Basho Museum conducts an annual contest known as the Basho-an International English Haiku Competition. The famous Japanese haiku poet, Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), moved to what was then the outskirts of Tokyo in 1680, where he lived in a rustic hut built by his disciples. From that time forward, Basho took his name… Read More 6th Basho-an International English Haiku Competition
K’gari (pronounced Gurri) is the largest sand island in the world. Located in Queensland, Australia, the island comprises long, sandy beaches, coastal heaths, woodland and freshwater lakes. K’gari is part of the traditional lands of the Butchulla people. You can read the K’gari creation story, as told by the Butchulla people, here. Essentially, Princess K’gari… Read More Haiku of Place: K’gari
The organisers of the Trailblazer Contest have challenged writers to use haiku, or tanka, in new and unusual ways. They’ve challenged writers to incorporate the essence of these Japanese forms into contemporary poetry that is fresh and innovative. You can visit the Trailblazer Contest website here. I was fortunate to have one of my haiku… Read More Haiku Trailblazer Contest
The Australian Haiku Society was formed in the year 2000 to promote the enjoyment of haiku and link Australian writers with the world haiku community. The first anthology of haiku by Australian writers was produced in 2001. Subsequent anthologies appeared in 2006 and 2011. This year, the Australian Haiku Society has released under the same… Read More Fourth Australian Haiku Anthology
Gregory Piko 