January 20, 2007 - Workshop and Kukai

(back row) Nardin Gottfried, Kath Wilson,
Don Kingfisher Campbell, Janis, Ines Foley
(front row) Tom Bilicke, Linda Galloway, Min Jae Kim
(not shown) Debbie Kolodji, Peggy Hehman-Smith

On January 20, 2007, the Southern California Haiku Study Group met at the Pacific Asia Museum for their monthly workshop and kukai. An Asian-American festival was going on in the restored courtyard, inspiring several haiku. After a brief kigo discussion, Linda Galloway made a presentation on wild mushrooms offering mushrooms as a kigo for this time of year. As challenge kigo for the kukai and to bring back next month to the meeting, she offered "mushroom season" and "wild mushroom soup."

Some other kigo for the current month are:

The Season: winter, rainy season
Sky and Heaven: winter moon, wolf moon, Orion
Mountain, Fields, and Ocean: rising LA river, snow-capped mountains
Flowers and Plants: manzanita blossoms, bare root, mushrooms
Birds and Animals: squirrel nests, overwintering monarchs

Human Affairs: bowl games, pruning, Martin Luther King Day

Sample haiku from the kukai:

into my poem
finally
winter drums

- Kath Wilson

first fog --
he writes
the old year again

- Nardin Gottfried

The next meeting will be February 17, 2007 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the Pacific Asia Museum. Please bring any haiku you may have written for the challenge kigo with you to the meeting.