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February 2022 Workshop

On February 19^th, 24 members of the Southern California Haiku Group met via zoom:  Lynn Algood, Kathryn Bold, Jackie Chou, Marcyn Del Clements, Lynne Fayne, Joan Fingon, Diane Fungston, Carol Hajdu, Charles Harmon, Deborah P Kolodji, Yvette Nicole Kolodji, Gregory Longenecker, Seretta Martin, Richard Matta, Vicki Miko, Rita Melissano, Genie Nakano, Susan Rogers, Bona M. Santos, Sigrid Saradunn, Lorraine Padden, Patricia Wakimoto, Kath Abela Wilson, and Sharon Yee.

After a read-around of poetry, Vicki Miko did a short featured reading of haiku.  This was followed by a beautiful virtual ginko of the Japanese Garden at the Huntington presented by Greg Longenecker. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens are on the former estate of Henry and Arabella Huntington.  In August of 1919, they signed a trust document that transformed their private estate into a public institution making their collections available “to promote the public welfare.” 

The Japanese Garden comprises a traditional Japanese house, a moon bridge, a walled Zen garden, bonsai courts, and Seifu-an, a ceremonial teahouse and garden.  The Huntington’s bonsai collection is one of the largest bonsai collections in the United States. Started in 1968, the bonsai holdings now number in the hundreds, representing many different species, styles and sizes, from centuries-old twisted junipers to majestic pines, elm forests, bougainvillea, and more. Some bonsai in the Huntington collections are estimated to be over 1,000 years old. In addition to the two bonsai courts in the Japanese Garden, which are linked by a Suiseki Court (viewing stones), bonsai can also be found in the Chinese Garden (Liu Fang Yuan, or the Garden of Flowing Fragrance).  No two visits to the bonsai courts are ever the same because these displays only represent a portion of the overall collection, and trees are rotated throughout the year to highlight seasonal features.

The Huntington also has a collection of camellias of 80 different camellia species and 1200 cultivated varieties, in full bloom in February in the North Vista, Japanese Garden, and the Garden of Flowing Fragrance.

Many haiku were inspired by Greg's wonderful presentation.

The March workshop will be on March 19^th via zoom at 2 pm.  Peter Jastermsky will do a presentation on split-sequences and Lorraine Padden will do a featured reading.  If you are interested in attending, contact Debbie Kolodji at dkolodji@aol.com.

SCHSG January Haiku Workshop – 1/18/20

Hill Avenue Branch Library, Pasadena, CA, 2 pm

 

Twelve members, one a returning member, attended: Jacqueline Chou, Charles Harmon, William Scott Galasso, Deborah P. Kolodji, Greg Longenecker, Eve Luckring, Victor Ortiz, Bonnie Santos, Taura Scott, Patricia Wakimoto, and James Won.

We began with a read-around of haiku by attendees. This was followed by Victor Ortiz with a reading of his most recent haiku. Victor was a member of our group until he and his wife moved to Bellingham, WA, and he joined Haiku Northwest.

 

Victor shared a number of insights into his haiku and how it was influenced by his move north. Two of his haiku:

 

belonging

where I don’t belong

giant sequoia

 

snowy forest

the woodpecker loosens

a childhood memory

     - Victor Ortiz

 

Victor’s presentation was followed by Greg leading the group in utilizing winter kigo from The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words, Selected by Kenkichi Yamamoto and Translated by Kris Young Kondo and William J. Higginson. Out of this exercise we began a writing workshop based on winter words. These haiku were then written on 3 x 5 cards and anonymously read to the groups for comment.

(left to right) back row:  Gregory Longenecker, Victor Ortix
middle row:  Patricia Wakimoto, Jackie Chou, Bona M. Santos, James Won, Scott Galasso
front row:  Deborah P Kolodji, Kathabela Wilson, Charles Harmon

 

Haiku Workshop - November 15, 2014 2pm

November's haiku workshop, held on Saturday, November 15th, focused on sound.  The meeting started with a discussion of various haiku retreats and conferences, as the sound workshop presented at the USC Pacific Asia Museum was based upon upon Susan Constable's workshop on Sound Haiku at the recent Seabeck Conference. Susan had been so kind as to send us the mp3 files she used in her workshop as well as an electronic copy of her handout.

I
Before starting the sound workshop, there were a few announcements.   A few Southern California Haiku Study Members have been recently honored.   William Hart received a Modern Haiku Award by having his senryu from the Summer 2014 issue selected as the favorite of the issue:

                           in crowspeak
                           there are thirty-two
                           words for trouble

                                           - William Hart
                                              Modern Haiku, Vol 45.2,
                                              Summer 2014

Two SCHSG members received awards in the 2014 Tokutomi Haiku Contest from the Yuki Teikei Society, a strict 5-7-5 haiku written to a pre-determined kigo.   Gregory Longenecker received 2nd place for:

                               early summer rain
                               Mom hums some forgotten tune
                               in a minor key

                                       - Gregory Longenecker
                                          2nd place,
                                          2014 Tokutomi Haiku Contest

Deborah P Kolodji also received an honorable mention in the same contest:

                               another blue sky,
                               another day without you. . .
                              apple blossom rain

                                       - Deborah P Kolodji
                                         Honorable Mention,
                                         2014 Tokutomi Haiku Contest

After a read-around of haiku, moderator Deborah P Kolodji reviewed Susan's Seabeck Sound handout, and then played 12 sounds to be used as writing prompts:  storm, sharpening a knife, a mosquito, an owl, a train, a babbling brook, a cat purr, a woodpecker, someone brushing his teeth, a chain saw, a rocking chair, and a jungle.  

After the writing session, clips from the sound tracks were replayed as poets read their haiku for each sound.   An anonymous haiku workshop finished up the meeting.

Present were William Hart, Gregory Longenecker, Deborah P Kolodji, Kimberly Esser, Janis, James Won, Elva Lauter, Rose, Sharon, Miya Rollinger, Genie Nakano, Patricia, Yvette Kolodji, Werner, Sean Carlton, Ash Baldon, Jonathan, and Lynn.  (Some poets have requested that their last name not be posted).

SCHSG Founder Jerry Ball honored at Asilomar

On November 8, 2014, Southern California Haiku Study Group founder, Jerry Ball, was honored at the Asilomar Haiku Retreat by the Yuki Teikei Society, who dedicated their 2014 Members' Anthology, Scattered Acorns, to him.

Patrick Gallagher read the dedication, which noted, "When he (Jerry) relocated to Southern California, he put a sign up in a local bookstore and soon had gathered the nucleus of the Southern California Haiku Study Group, wonderful poets who continue to delight us with their work long after he moved north again."

June Hopper Hymas, the editor of the anthology, wrote the dedication but was unable to attend the Asilomar Retreat.   Jerry, who has recently announced he is retiring from his work as dojin of Yuki Teikei, commenting on haiku in their newsletter, GEPPO. 

Jerry, who was in attendance, told a story about visiting Buson's grave with Edith Shiffert.  As he tried to take a photo of the gravestone, the lighting was too dark and he told Edith, the lighting is too dark. Suddenly, a beam of light illuminated the gravestone and Edith said, "Buson is happy you are here."   It was a very moving moment for all who were there.

Apology of Wildflowers - 2014 SCHSG Anthology Launch

On Sunday, November 2, 2014, the Southern California Haiku Study Group launched their newest anthology, Apology of Wildflowers, at the USC Pacific Asia Museum.  The anthology was edited by Gregory Longenecker, with work by 74 poets.

The title was taken by a poem by Kimberly Esser:

                   after the storm
                   an apology
                   of wildflowers
                           - Kimberly Esser

Book design and layout by Greg Longenecker. Cover design by Gorham Printing. Cover art by Jennifer Velasco. Translations of the following poets’ Spanish by Olga Garcia: R. Castillo, L. Jáuregui, G. Licona, A. Paz, C. Rascón and O. Rodríguez.

Deborah P Kolodji, Kimberly Esser, and Gregory Longenecker

Gregory Longenecker

Poets included in this anthology:

L. H. Allgood, Pasadena, CA
Vibiana Aparicio-Chamberlin, Pasadena, CA
Don Baird, Rancho Vista, CA
Maria Baird, Rancho Vista, CA
Ashley Baldon, Chino Hills, CA
Jerry Ball, Walnut Creek, CA
Tom Bilicke, Glendale, CA
Darrell Byrd, El Centro, CA
Susan Galletti Campion, San Diego, CA
Sean Carlton, Long Beach, CA
Roberto Castillo, Tijuana, Mexico
Peggy Castro, Alhambra, CA
Marcyn Del Clements, Claremont, CA
Phyllis Collins, Sherman Oaks, CA
Joan E. Day, Camarillo, CA
Billie Dee, San Diego, CA
D’ellen, Apple Valley, CA
Denise Dumars, Manhattan Beach, CA
Pauli Dutton, La Cañada, CA
Richard Dutton, La Cañada, CA
Andrea Eldridge, Claremont, CA
Kimberly Esser, Los Angeles, CA
Don Eulert, Santa Ysabel, CA
Kathy Fulton, Westminster, CA
Linda Galloway, Encino, CA
Olga Garcia, Tijuana, Mexico
Victor Gendrano, Seal Beach, CA
Anita Guenin, San Diego, CA
William Hart, Montrose, CA
Margaret Hehman-Smith, Hollydale, CA
Anne Hudson, Whittier, CA
Una Nichols Hynum, National City, CA
Laura Jáuregui, Tijuana, Mexico
Diana Ming Jeong, Pasadena, CA
Carol Judkins, Carlsbad, CA
Oleg Kagan, North Hollywood, CA
Patricia Kelly, Goleta, CA
Deborah P Kolodji, Temple City, CA
Yvette Nicole Kolodji, Temple City, CA
Elva Lauter, Los Angeles, CA
Marie Lecrivain, Los Angeles, CA
Gilberto Licona, Tijuana, Mexico
Gregory Longenecker, Pasadena, CA
Eve Luckring, Los Angeles, CA
E. Luke, Pacific Pines, CA
Janis Lukstein, Pacific Pines, CA
Robert Lundy, Del Mar, CA
Seretta Martin, San Diego, CA
Frances Ruhlen McConnel, Claremont, CA
Naia, Temecula, CA
Genie Nakano, Hawthorne, CA
Ruth Nolan, Palm Desert, CA
Victor Ortiz, San Pedro, CA
Alberto Paz, Tijuana, Mexico
Claudia Poquoc, CA
Cristina Rascón, Tijuana, Mexico
Wendy Rathbone, Yucca Valley, CA
Beki Reese, Costa Mesa, CA
Oralia Rodríguez, Tijuana, Mexico
Susan Rogers, Los Angeles, CA
Wakako Miya Rollinger, Topanga, CA
Stevie Strang, Laguna Niguel, CA
Karen Stromberg, La Mesa, CA
N. E. Taylor, Los Angeles, CA
Carolyn Thomas, Hemet, CA
Jie Tian, Brea, CA
Maja Trochimczyk, Sunland, CA
S. C. Virtes, Escondido, CA
Patricia Wakimoto, Gardena, CA
Megan Webster, San Diego, CA
Elizabeth Yahn Williams, Oceanside, CA
Kath Abela Wilson, Pasadena, CA
Julia Zhu, Huntington Beach, CA
Morgan Zo-Callahan, Temple City, CA

Senryu Workshop - October 18, 2014 2 pm

William Hart led the October workshop on senryu.

Smiles from Greg Longenecker and Kathabela Wilson.

Photos courtesy of Kathabela Wilson.