Poet Profile

Maureen Sexton

Maureen Sexton is a West Australian haiku writer, poet, artist and photographer. She began writing haiku over 20 years ago, but began studying English language haiku and improving her haiku writing, after completing an intense mentorship (writing, researching, critiquing and workshopping of haiku for publication) with mentor, Australian haiku pioneer John Bird in 2007. She founded the West Australian Paperbark Haiku Group (previously Mari Warabiny). The Paperbark Haiku Group endeavours to hold haiku gatherings/ginko (haiku walks) four times per year and has a Facebook group for haiku enthusiasts from anywhere in the world. She also co-founded Creatrix Haiku Journal (online). She is currently an Australian Haiku Society committee member and WA representative. She has held many haiku workshops in WA and judged several WA haiku competitions. Her haiku has been published nationally and internationally, in such journals as The Heron's Nest, Frogpond, Blithe Spirit, Hedgerow, Windfall, Echidna Tracks, Creatrix Haiku Journal, Third Australian Haiku Anthology, Paper Wasp, Famous Reporter, Stylus Poetry Journal, Haiku Australia Dreaming, and FreeExpressions. She finds haiku writing to be particularly meditative, healing and inspiring. With the frustration and anger at the continual destruction of the environment, and surrounding greed and corruption, she finds haiku is a way of keeping herself calm and in the 'now'.

Awards and Other Honors: The Touchstone Award Shortlist for 2018

graveside
a snowflake melts
on my hand

day moon
the child notices
her first freckle

date night
our undies mingle
in the washing machine

domestic fight
a young child hiding
in the fairy garden

knitting circle
sharing our stories
of childbirth

snowy mountains
the slow movement
of clouds

Credits:

“graveside” – The Heron’s Nest Vol. XXI, No. 3: September 2019; “day moon“ – The Heron’s Nest Vol. XX, No. 2: June 2018; “date night“ – Frogpond Vol. 42:3 Fall 2019; “domestic fight“ – Frogpond Vol. 41:2 Spring/Summer 2018; “knitting circle“ – Blithe Spirit Vol. 29 No.3 2019; “snowy mountains“ – Echidna Tracks #2 February 2019.