May 19, 2007 - Workshop and Kukai

Pacific Asia Museum Courtyard, Pasadena, CA

Our May workshop, attended by Linda Galloway, Nardin Gottfried, Darrell Byrd, Tom Bilicke, Peggy Castro, and Lindy Hill was a delightful afternoon. Linda Galloway led the meeting, and gave a brief talk about the life of Masaoka Shiki (1867-1903) and his historic contribution to modern haiku. Linda had just returned from the international Haiku Pacific Rim (HPR) Conference, in Matsuyama, Japan, the birthplace and hometown of Shiki. The conference was held at the Shiki Museum in Matsuyama. Linda then passed around reproductions of Shiki's paintings and read some of Shiki's spring haiku.

once there was
an old man and an old woman --
peach blossoms

doll shadows
peach shadows
overlapped on the wall

misted moon --
on the Gojo Bridge
no one at all

spring snowfall
among the willows --
it is, is not

--Shiki

The group shared haiku and had a group discussion about the place and appropriateness of using questions in haiku. Members gave examples of their haiku which contained questions.

For the monthly kukai, Linda Galloway brought spring kigo (season words) from the haiku of Shiki, and others. Examples were:

cats in love, cherry blossoms, days are long, first thunder, frog, idle weather, mist, misty moon, paper kites, peach blossoms, plum blossoms, spring dusk, spring moon, spring moor, spring rain, spring snow, spring wind, uguisu (bush warbler), violets, water wander**, willow trees.

[**water wander is a spring game and consists of. starters up stream & haiku contestants down stream. The starters put wine-filled cups into the water upstream. Then the contestants down stream must write a haiku before the wine cups reach them. A haiku contestant grabs a cup, runs upstream, recites his haiku, and gets to drink the wine.]

Some haiku from the group members were:

misty moon --
the clouded eyes of an old
bamboo shoot seller

--Linda Galloway

Telephone book --
I pick a number at random,
She was glad I called.

--Tom Bilicke

Escondido --
a spot on the way to town
is now town

--Darrell Byrd

grief at her move --
tulip blooms
fail to open

--Lindy Hill

May 21, 2007 - San Jose Teahouse Reading

Wendy Wright, Deborah Kolodji, Jerry Ball
and Janis, Japanese Friendship Garden, San Jose, CA
May 21, 2007

Southern California Haiku Study Group members Wendy Wright, Deborah Kolodji, and Janis drove to San Jose for the annual Yuki Teikei Teahouse Reading in San Jose. SCHSG founder, Jerry Ball, was one of the featured haiku poets for the reading.

It was a satisfying day of haiku. We met at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Kelley Park at 10:00 for a workship led by Anne Homan. Other workshop attendees, in addition to the four SCHSG members above, included Alison Woolpert, Ed Grossman, Carol Steele, Roger Abe, Maxine, Eric, Christine, and Bill.

Participants were given the following kigo for inspiration before strolling the gardens for a ginko:

ducklings, end of springtime, Mother's Day, new leaves/young leaves, waterfall, spring tranquility

Some of us visited Heritage Park, also in Kelley Park, for lunch before returning for the haiku reading where we were joined by Ann Bendixen, donnalynn chase, and Maxine . In addition to Jerry Ball, the other featured poets were Betty and Jim Arnold, all of who read haiku from their recent trip to Japan for Haiku Pacific Rim.

Afterwards, some of us had dinner at Gombei in Japantown, a restaurant known for home-style Japanese dishes. We all vowed to attend the Asilomar retreat in September to learn more about haiku and spend time with our Yuki Teikei friends