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Just a brief comment on the poems cited - to me there is no 'issue' with these two being 'too similar'; because they're not.

The two items they share are 'headache' and 'bird'. Otherwise the tanka also includes 'dream', 'song (notes)', 'dawn' and 'cold light'; while the haiku has 'feeding bird' (not singing, and not plural birds) and 'wooden blind' (time of day not stated, could be an afternoon nap because of the headache).

Think of all the poems written about walking on a beach and seeing the clouds in footprints ... all the poems written about cherry blossoms ... all the poems written about autumn leaves. Some topics are very popular, others less so. Just because two poems are on the same topic doesn't make them a problem. The content of the poems cited is, in my opinion, dissimilar, while describing the common human experience of a headache.

Beautiful exhibition, well worth spending some of your lockdown/self-isolation/quarantine time on!

It is with regret that I inform you that New Zealand haiku and tanka poet Andre Surridge passed away on December 23.

A tribute page to him may be found here: https://poetrysociety.org.nz/affiliates/haiku-nz/haiku-happenings/

number eight wire: the fourth New Zealand haiku anthology is now available. A survey of the decade 2008-18, it features 330 poems by 70 poets of all ages. The 150-page perfect bound book is available only through the editors (ie, it's not being listed on Amazon).

Please go to this webpage for full price and ordering details: https://breathhaiku.wordpress.com/2019/02/24/number-eight-wire/

Thank you Marion. It is indeed sad news. I shall miss seeing Rachel's haiku, always worth reading.

- Sandra

Hello,

There is a list of reputable English-language journals accessible from this page: https://poetrysociety.org.nz/affiliates/haiku-nz/haiku-competitions-publications/

Essays/articles to read: https://poetrysociety.org.nz/affiliates/haiku-nz/haiku-poems-articles/

And Haiku News/Happenings: https://poetrysociety.org.nz/affiliates/haiku-nz/haiku-happenings/

Best wishes
Sandra

A short posting about Werner may be found here: https://breathhaiku.wordpress.com/2017/06/23/werner-reichhold-1925-2017/

Best to all,
Sandra

Just a reminder that the NZ Poetry Society International Haiku Contest closes on May 31.

See here for entry details: https://poetrysociety.org.nz/the-new-zealand-poetry-society-2017-international-poetry-competition/

Hi all,

This contest has opened somewhat late this year, but details are now available here:
https://poetrysociety.org.nz/the-new-zealand-poetry-society-2017-international-poetry-competition/

Good luck to all contestants (the contest is judged 'blind').

Sandra

Haiku NewZ, and its parent the New Zealand Poetry Society, have moved to a new website which has a fresh look.

Find Haiku Happenings here: https://poetrysociety.org.nz/affiliates/haiku-nz/haiku-happenings/

To access and navigate the rest of the pages, hover your mouse over Affiliates in the top menu. A drop-down tab will appear that says Haiku New Zealand. Point your mouse at this tab and a drop-down menu with all the page names appears to the right.

All the previous content is available, although some of the groupings are now slightly different.

Please let me know if you have any queries or difficulties using the pages.

- Sandra Simpson
Haiku NewZ editor
nzhaiku [at] gmail [dot] com

I think haiku writers need to be aware of searching for our own unique voice and with every haiku we submit for publication, ask ourselves the question, have I read this before?


Very well put Jennifer. I couldn't agree more.

Hi Jennifer,

As you may be aware, the issue of plagiarism is one which interests me.

I wrote this article for Haiku NewZ, published in November 2013: http://www.poetrysociety.org.nz/plagiarisminhaiku

To which Michael Dylan Welch composed a response/an extension, published the following month:
http://www.poetrysociety.org.nz/plagiarismbymdw

I recently approached the editor of well-known journal about a haiku that I felt was 'too close' to one I consider to be well known. The editor approached the author (who is 'new to haiku') and received in reply a defence of the new haiku, along the lines of 'it's a well-known and common phrase'.

Which is true. It helped that the author apologised, and claimed no knowledge of the earlier one, which could well be correct.

So there are a lot of grey areas - and there must surely be innocent overlap of content as well as the occasional devious mick-taker. I love and respect the fact that the haiku community is very trusting -  long may it last.

Best wishes,
Sandra

Thanks Jan. Being a judge makes me super-nervous!

The organisers of this year's Katikati Haiku Contest are pleased to announce: 

autumn moon
eclipsed for a moment
migrating geese

- Tracy Davidson, UK, First

clear sky
a refugee kisses
the café window

- Cynthia Rowe, Australia, Second

autumn garden
my thoughts
a deeper green

- Scott Mason, US, Third

Highly Commended: Andre Surridge (Hamilton, NZ), Scott Mason, Robert Alcock (Spain) and Elaine Riddell (Hamilton, NZ).

Commended: Cynthia Rowe, Catherine Bullock (Waihi, NZ), Joanne Watcyn-Jones (Australia), Elaine Riddell, Jan Dobb (Australia) and Ernest J Berry (Blenheim).

The award for the Best Local Haiku went to:

pruning -
I leave the twig
with the ladybird

- Catherine Bullock

There were 360 haiku entered from 8 countries. The organisers would like to thank all those who entered for supporting the pathway project and Katikati-based King's Seeds for sponsoring the cash prizes.

Read the judge's comments on the first three haiku at: https://breathhaiku.wordpress.com/2016/11/15/katikati-haiku-contest-2016-results/

- Sandra Simpson
Katikati Haiku Pathway Focus Committee

The page about the passing of Carlos has moved off the THF home page and as I didn't add the link until just before it disappeared, I thought I would repost it here.

Last year, by accident(!), Carlos sent me a selection of his favourites among the haiku he had written with a few notes about each. I remembered it a few days after receiving word of his death and have now posted the piece on my blog. You can read it here:

https://breathhaiku.wordpress.com/2016/11/08/carlos-colon-in-his-own-words/

- Sandra Simpson