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AN INVITATION TO SHARE WORLD HAIKU
WHC Regional Activities

 

Poets and residents of Derby City, England, joined together for a haiku workshop, Ocean Day kukai and ginko led by haiku poet Paul T. Conneally, Education and Regional Director of the World Haiku Club. Simultaneously, all around the globe, WHC members took part in the Ocean Day Kukai.  The regional workshop kicked off in the Art Gallery, where the Japan Foundation's "Art of Manga" was exhibited. Haiku was introduced and related to the Manga Exhibition.

"Jumping Into Haiku" in Derbyshire, UK Thursday 19th July 2001

"Jumping into Haiku" was part of a whole month of Japanese events in Derby jointly organised by Q-Arts and Derby Museums and Libraries Service as part of Japan 2001.

Walking The Talk

One of the most pleasurable aspects of haiku is the sharing of them. The World Haiku Club has many internet lists for doing just this and this Review too but we also want to encourage all those with a love of haiku and related forms to get out and "walk the haiku talk"!

Both Susumu Takiguchi and I have been out and about giving readings, talks and running workshops the up and down, left to right and don't lets forget the diagonals, of Britain!

Haiku can bring communities together to reflect on and share things from the everyday lives of ordinary folk -- things that have struck a chord somehow, and stayed long enough for someone to get it down as a haiku - or something approaching one!

Mr. Haiku at Charnwood Arts "Picnic in the Park" 

Running local kukai for already existing writing groups, inventing and running some haiku event for a town fair or school fete or giving a haiku reading at a poetry "open mike" session are all exciting and rewarding activities.

I've done all these and more over the last couple of years and I always enjoy the reactions of those haiku virgins to their "first-time" attempts!

One way to get folks writing haiku and make a few shillings for the local school or hospice or whatever is to attach haiku writing to some other activity. Plant Pot painting is a good one for a summer fete. Buy some cheap terracotta plant-pots and some paints - set up a stall and charge a fee for kids to paint one and take home. While the kids paint accost the adults and introduce them to haiku - have some poems hung up around the stall and invite them to write one. Most will have a go. Then get them to copy out their best attempt (don't be too picky with them - it's just great that they wrote anything!) on to a card and hang it up on the stall or a nearby tree. The kids will want a go too - just see! You could even combine it with a balloon race - tying the haiku to the balloons before letting them go! Which one will go the furthest? Imagine finding one of these haiku in your garden or in town when shopping. Now that's what I call spreading the haiku word!

Haiku walks, or "ginkos", are fantastic fun and combine exercise with poetry - a "healthy heart ginko" might even get sponsored by your local health centre or health promotion agency - everyone wins and you might even live longer!

So, come on folks run an event - keep the haiku and share them along with your event with us here at the World Haiku Review!

E-mail us with details of your haiku event and include some of the haiku produced, maybe even some photos to: paul.conneally@ntlworld.com We'll share them with the world!

 

All that's best, paul t conneally Education & Regional Director World Haiku Club

 

Read the winning haiku from the WHC Internet Mailing List Ocean Day Kukai

 

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