Haiku Bindii

haiku what are they? why we write them An introduction to Haiku Saturday 28 January, from 1 – 3 pm The haiku is an ancient Japanese poetry form, but it is as relevant today as it has always been. Western poets have adopted and adapted the form to suit contemporary tastes, and  the fact that the form continues to evolve in Japan is, paradoxically, entirely in keeping with tradition. Julia Wakefield will give a brief introduction to the combined complexity and simplicity of the haiku form. After a short break, there will be a series of group exercises that focus on composing haiku. Refreshments provided. A Gold Coin donation is requested to cover expenses. Bookings: haikubindii@gmail.com Box Factory 59 Regent St South Adelaide

For our final meeting of 2016, a small group of four members shared some haiku and their experiences of writing and working with haiku during 2016. Dawn Colsey chaired the meeting and other attendees were: Lee Bentley, Lynette Arden and Jill Gower. Apologies: Maeve Archibald, Sara Abend-Sims, Margaret Dingle, Belinda Broughton, Julia Wakefield and Athena Zaknic. Dawn opened the meeting by welcoming members and extending congratulations, on behalf of members, to Sara Abend-Sims for her fine haibun published in December 2016 Haibun Today . The Bindii program for 2017 was discussed and will be displayed on our website. January: beginners’ haiku workshop, run by Julia Wakefield February: follow up to the January workshop (Julia Wakefield) April: ginko (Adelaide Botanic Gardens proposed), led by Lee Bentley, with email workshop to follow (Lynette Arden to organize) June: haibun workshop (Maeve Archibald) August: workshop of haibun (Maeve Archibald) October: tanka ...

Our final meeting for 2016 will be on 3 December, at the Box Factory, from 12.30. Members are invited to share some seasonal haiku/tanka etc. and to share their experience of writing poetry during 2016. The meeting will be shorter than usual and we will adjourn to a nearby cafe for an end of the year celebration. Further details will be emailed to members and friends prior to the meeting by Lee Bentley. A haiku learning workshop for beginners is scheduled for Saturday 28 January. This will be run  by Julia Wakefield at the Box Factory . Watch for more details. 2017 PROGRAM The regular Bindii bi-monthly program of meetings for members will continue in 2017. Saturday 4 February: as a follow up to her January haiku workshop, Julia Wakefield will lead a meeting concentrating on the workshop of haiku. Saturday 1 April: Ginko in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. Saturday 3 June: Haibun Workshop led by Maeve Archibald. Saturday 5 August: Follow up Haibun Workshop led by M...

The Bindii group met at 12.30, at the Box Factory, 59 Regent St South, Adelaide. Belinda Broughton gave a comprehensive workshop on haiga. She started with a PowerPoint presentation that included examples of the different styles of haiga, from the traditional Japanese forms and simple brush drawings to modern photo haiga and many other examples, such as collage. Belinda also showed some of her own haiga in different styles, including some on rice paper, and sketch book notes, and others that had been derived from her photos, or sketched electronically in various computer programs. Various viewpoints about haiga were discussed, chiefly differing in relation to the closeness of text to image that each considered to be desirable. The workshop then went to the practical aspect of constructing a haiga. Members were provided with blank sheets of paper and writing instruments (pencil and black Texta). We were asked to make a series of marks on the different sheets that depicted our o...

Belinda Broughton will give a presentation on haiga at our meeting on 1 October. The meeting, at the Box Factory, 59 Regent St South, Adelaide, will run from 12.30 - 2.30. If you wish to come earlier at 12.00 for lunch or a coffee, the venue will be open. Members will be notified of further details by Co-Convener Lee Bentley.

Our meeting started at 12.30 pm, in our usual venue of the Box Factory. Lee Bentley led the group for a session on renku, starting with an outline of the history of renku and then talking about some of the principles of renku writing, chiefly link and shift. We looked at the translation of an older Japanese traditional renga and then attempted one of our own, with Lee acting as sabaki. This was a collaborative effort, starting with a haiku offered by Dawn Colsey. Members then offered successive verses and there was much interaction as to the most appropriate choice for each verse as it came up, and debate on whether it linked with the previous verse and also shifted sufficiently in meaning from the second previous verse. At the end of the meeting we had achieved the first six verses of an experimental renku and members felt they had gained some knowledge of the techniques involved. Several of those attending had not attempted haiku writing before this meeting, so there was als...

The meeting on Saturday 6 August will be held at the Box Factory, 69 Regent St South, Adelaide, from 12:30 to 2:30 pm. Some members will be gathering in the kitchen for lunch at 12.00 before the meeting officially starts at 12:30. Please bring lunch if you wish to join us.  Lee Bentley will provide an interesting poetry activity for the meeting. Further details will be announced and emailed to members. Visitors are welcome. Please email  haikubindii@gmail.com  if you are attending for the first time.