My Favourite Haiku

Recently I was asked to write a piece on my favourite haiku for the Haiku NewZ web pages. You can read the resulting essay on Jack Kerouac's below haiku here.

  The taste

     of rain

—Why kneel?

Jack Kerouac 

More 'My Favourite Haiku' selections by well-known writers and editors can be read here. What would you choose?

A Big Small Kindness

Big thanks to the girls at Cafe Botannix Bethlehem last Wednesday who turned off the music that afternoon at my request. My hubby has Asperger's Syndrome and he has extreme noise sensitivity as a result. It can be really hard for us to find a quiet place to treat ourselves to a coffee. We seriously appreciate the kindness these staff members showed. It meant the world to my husband at that moment. YOU ROCK!

This blog post is part of the Small Kindnesses Blogsplash. You can still get involved. Find out all the info here. As part of the blogsplash Fiona Robyn's novel Small Kindnesses is FREE on Kindle today. Enjoy! :)

Wednesday Haiku: Call For Submissions

From Editor, Don Wentworth:

Just a note to you all who know about the weekly "Wednesday Haiku" postings at Issa's Untidy Hut.

Over the last 14 months or so, the Wednesday Haiku posting has featured the work of two haiku poets. This was done largely to a backlog I had, which had been causing people an inordinate wait for their haiku to see the light of day. Publishing twice as many a week halved the wait. 

At this juncture, however, the coffers are getting a tad low. I can always revert to one poem per week, but feel two poems creates a different dynamic, one of more interest to the reader and to myself as editor. 

So, this is a general call for haiku for the Wednesday feature, as always one poem at a time: 

Here's the deal - every Wednesday, I publish one or two original haiku on the blog, Issa's Untidy Hut.  Electronic submissions only, with the following caveat:

Send one (one only) original haiku

That's one original haiku per poet.  I will reply in a timely manner, with simply a yeah or nay. Poets whose poems are accepted will receive the 2 current issues of Lilliput Review or a 2 issue extension of their current subscription if s/he already subscribes. Send your original haiku to: 

wednesdayhaiku@gmail.com

Once the haiku is accepted or rejected, you may send another.  Otherwise, only one submission of one haiku per poet at a time.  I believe I said one, is that right?

Feel free to share this email with haiku-writing friends or on Facebook haiku groups, and likewise on Twitter, etc.

Thanks very much.

best,
Don

I'm excited to have just had a haiku accepted by Don for the "Wednesday Haiku" after responding to this call. So get into it folks! Don is a very approachable editor and generally gets back to you quickly. See you there!
 

Cicada Song in Ink and Colour

Ink and colour by Rob Piggott

This ink and colour piece by Rob Piggott was inspired by my haiku below, and done for the When North meet South exhibition, now on at Ballamy's Gallery, Dunedin.

 

eyes closed

the cicada song

a little louder

Organiser Ruth Arnison brought together haiku poets from the North Island and artists of all kinds from the South Island to create this unique fundraising event. A percentage of the proceeds of all sales goes to Ruth's amazing Poems in the Waiting Room project.

Song of the Heron

Painting by Tash Shackleton

This painting by Tash Shackleton was inspired by my haiku below, and done for the When North meet South exhibition, now on at Ballamy's Gallery, Dunedin.

 taking shelter

from this rain, too

grey heron

Organiser Ruth Arnison brought together haiku poets from the North Island and artists of all kinds from the South Island to create this unique fundraising event. A percentage of the proceeds of all sales goes to Ruth's amazing Poems in the Waiting Room project.

Blue Moons

Painting by Sheryl McCammon

This painting by artist Sheryl McCammon was inspired by my haiku below, and done for the When North meet South exhibition, now on at Ballamy's Gallery, Dunedin.

 only through

this wash-house window

blue moons

 

 

 

Organiser Ruth Arnison brought together haiku poets from the North Island and artists of all kinds from the South Island to create this unique fundraising event. A percentage of the proceeds of all sales goes to Ruth's amazing Poems in the Waiting Room project.

 

 

Haiku Hawk

Painting by Jenny Longstaff

This painting by Jenny Longstaff was inspired by my haiku below, and done for the When North meet South exhibition, now on at Bellamy's Gallery, Dunedin.

 misty moon

above the mountain range

hawk's cry

Organiser Ruth Arnison brought together haiku poets from the North Island and artists of all kinds from the South Island to create this unique fundraising event. A percentage of the proceeds of all sales goes to Ruth's amazing Poems in the Waiting Room project.

With Cherries on Top

Super stoked to find that the pdf book of haiku and senryu from the 31 Different NaHaiWriMo Prompters in August 2012 is available now for FREE download! With Cherries on Top: 31 Flavors of NaHaiWriMo, edited by Michael Dylan Welch can be found here. 

I'm grateful to have the following four haiku included (hubby has one in there too!) along with so many other writers from the online haiku community. Thanks to Michael for the ideas and for putting them into action; thanks to the 31 daily prompters, and thanks to all those who took part in the Facebook haikufest that is NaHaiWriMo.


laundry day . . .
when did my feet
last touch the sand

     (Sand prompt from Vincent Hoarau) 


                              growing dusk . . .
                              the stillborn calf
                              is taken away

                              (Birth prompt from Christina Nguyen)

the lion in her  full moon

     (Lion prompt from Alegria Imperial)

                              psychiarist's office—

                              the painting of a boat
                              hung off-centre

                              (Boats prompt from Alison Williams) 



P.S. Also available for FREE download is the pdf book of small stones from Mindful Writing Day, edited by Fiona Robyn and Kaspa. You'll find that here. Enjoy all the weekend reading! :)

Small Kindnesses Blogsplash

A new blogsplash event organised by Fiona Robyn and Writing Our Way Home...

On Tuesday the 27th of November I'm joining the Small Kindnesses Blogsplash and writing about a special small kindness someone paid me in the past. Would you like to join me?

The Blogsplash is organised by Fiona Robyn to celebrate the release of her novel 'Small Kindnesses' which will be free on Kindle on the day. All you have to do is write something about being kind - a memory of someone who was kind to you, a list of kindnesses over the past week, or something kind you did for someone else. It'll be a celebration of kindness in all its forms, especially those little kind acts that make all the difference.

To find out more visit Fiona's blog, or join the Facebook event. Do ask your friends to join you, and feel free to copy this blog onto your own to help us spread the word.

See you on the 27th! :)

Building a time machine

I'm really pleased to once again have haiku in the annual New Zealand Poetry Society Anthology, which was edited by Owen Bullock this year. It contains all the winning entries of the NZPS International Haiku and Open Poetry Competitions, as well as work chosen 'blind' by the editor from the remaining poems entered.




My first haiku won a Highly Commended placing:

bus stop
the moonlight
on her cane



This second haiku was chosen by the editor:

his gentle snores
when did I last
see the stars . . .



You can order your copy of the NZPS 2012 anthology Building a time machine here (PayPal is available).

Wind in the Reeds

The autumn kigo 'wind in the reeds' Sketchbook kukai results are now out - view them here. Congratulations to my writing buddy Cara Holman for her 2nd place win - that's the haiku I gave my top points to! Here are my efforts for what was my first Sketchbook kukai:

wind in the reeds
laying out tarot cards
by candlelight

I always used to
get the wishbone
wind in the reeds

wind in the reeds I dare you to love 

 

Launching into November . . .

Three launches that include my haiku are happening this month, and unfortunately I won't make it to any of them! Never mind because the books will arrive soon. :)

First is the launch of Building a time machine - the 2012 New Zealand Poetry Society Anthology, edited by Owen Bullock. I have two haiku appearing in this anthology: one that received a Highly Commended in the NZPS International Haiku Competition, and a further ku that was chosen by the editor. Order your copy here.

Second is the opening of the exhibition When North meets South, organised by Ruth Arnison. This is where artists of all kinds from the South Island chose haiku from poets from the North Island and made works of art inspired by them. I can't wait to receive my copy of the exhibition booklet that will include my four chosen haiku turned into works of art by four different painters. Hopefully I'll be able to link some photos soon!

Last but not least is the launch of the Haiku News Anthology, edited by Dick Whyte (NZ) and Laurence Stacey (US). I have one haiku appearing in this anthology and look forward to seeing this unique collection. Presales are now being taken here to support the printing of the book.

November 2012 - Kirsten's Calendar of Haiku & Photography

Above is the November page of my calendar. The photo was taken last year at Papamoa Beach especially for this project. The haiku is one of my most published ku, originally taking out Third prize in the Katikati Haiku Contest (2008). I've been busy making a 2013 calendar to give to family and friends this Christmas. Lot's of new photos and haiku to enjoy throughout the year. Remember you can see all the pages from my 2012 calendar at the link on the side-bar: Kirsten's 2012 Calendar of Haiku & Photography.

Last month I did several new photo-haiga in collabortaion with Cara Holman. This was the first time for both of us working together in this way, and we've deemed it a great success! Three have already appeared in Margaret Dornaus' Day of the Dead post. Five more have been sent to Aubrie Cox, the new A Hundred Gourds haiga editor, for consideration in the next issue. All have used my images with Cara's haiku; plus I also sent in three that are all my own work. I've only submitted haiga twice to a journal and look forward to seeing how these collaborations fare, and to doing more of the same in the future. Happy haiku-ing, friends! :)

Day of the Dead #3: A photo-haiga with Cara Holman

Haiku by Cara Holman / Image by Kirsten Cliff (click on image to enlarge)

See Margaret Dornaus' full Day of the Dead post on her blog Haiku-doodle.

Day of the Dead #2: A photo-haiga with Cara Holman

Haiku by Cara Holman / Image by Kirsten Cliff (click on image to enlarge)

See Margaret Dornaus' full Day of the Dead post on her blog Haiku-doodle.

Day of the Dead #1: A photo-haiga with Cara Holman

Haiku by Cara Holman / Image by Kirsten Cliff (click on image to enlarge)

See Margaret Dornaus' full Day of the Dead post on her blog Haiku-doodle.

Here's my TODAY IS MINDFUL WRITING DAY small stone

mountain mist ...

all the chores

that were before me

now lost in the call

of this peacock

 Check out MINDFUL WRITING DAY for yourself