Gutted

Things are coming together . . .

The house: the architect's plans for the new, reinforced roof of our home were sent through to me this week, and have been sent to council for the required building permit. Also, the house has been gutted - all the walls, ceiling, kitchen, carpets, etc., have been ripped out, and will eventually be replaced once the new roof is on and the building is watertight. It's so good to know that things are continuing on over there in Matamata while hubby and I make another day-to-day life for ourselves in Te Awamutu.

A photo I took from my study last August of the peacocks that roam our country property.

I have no need

of all these peacocks

to teach me how to cry

last night I felt you

in my arms at last

 

Skylark 2:1 (Summer 2014)

The manuscript: my haiku and tanka manuscript did not place in the Snapshot Press Book Awards, but I'm very excited to say that it is now being read by another publisher. Happy, happy, joy, joy! :-)

The store: my online shop Haiku On has taken a backseat for a while now, but today I released a new t.shirt design that I'm really excited about - "What's my sport? Haiku!" This is with thanks to friend and haiku poet Margaret Beverland, who told me about a conversation she had along these lines with fellow haiku poets, and her husband! The bestselling tee "Trust me, I'm a haiku poet" is still available, as well as some beautiful haiku journals, and much more. Come over and take a look at http://www.cafepress.com/haikuon

Brand new t.shirt design at Haiku On available now! http://www.cafepress.com/haikuon

Still Heading Out

Still Heading Out: An anthology of Australian and New Zealand haiku edited by Jacqui Murray and Katherine Samuelowicz is out now!

How excited I was to receive this so close to Christmas.

still heading out

telling my track

by the Southern Cross

John Knight (1935-2012) 

This landmark publication marks a unique collaboration to honour the memory and legacy of paper wasp co-founder, the late John Knight, who had many friends on both sides of what is known affectionately as 'The Ditch'. Its is available for $A20 in Australia and New Zealand and for $US20 elsewhere in the world. Contact via email Jacqui Murray or Katherine Samuelowicz.

After the joint Australian and New Zealand tanka anthology this year, 100 Tanka by 100 Poets, it is so good to have a haiku version, and it's now on top of my reading pile!

Everyone has a generous selection of haiku represented, and I'm loving the short bio's, too. Get your copy today and read the best of what Down Under haiku has to offer. Enjoy! :-)

Given an ordinary stone . . .

The New Zealand Poetry Society 2013 Anthology, Given an ordinary stone, edited by Owen Bullock, was launched over the weekend in Wellington. You can order your copy here.

The anthology includes the winning poems from the NZPS International Competitions, including the Haiku Junior Section I judged, as well as other poems and haiku selected by the author from the remaining entries.

This year I won 5th Prize in the Open Haiku Section, judged by Nola Borrell, with:

drifting evensong
pine needles cloistered
in fresh snow

This appears in the book, along with my Commended placing:

full morning moon
cows chew their way
through the fog

I look forward to receiving my copy and reading all the poems from 2013! I'm sure it will be an inspiration. :-)

Now This

spring festival--

in this belly dancer's hips

a new blessing

first outing

in my wheelchair

even the cats give way

Two of my haiku from Now This: Contemporary Poems of Renewals, Beginnings and Firsts (ed. Robert Epstein, 2013).

 

100 Tanka by 100 Poets

Cover & inside art by Ron Moss

Yesterday I received my copy of 100 Tanka by 100 Poets of Australia & New Zealand. It's beautiful!

My tanka included in this fine collection is:

planning out wedding
in the hospital chapel
while I have chemo
I am not dying
but a part of me is

Published in Presence #44 and Take Five vol 4


 It was also mentioned in the introduction by Kiyoko Ogawa (co-editor 2010-2011 Poerty Nippon 1967-2011) who wrote:

"Kirsten Cliff's tanka of 'our wedding / in the hospital chapel' sounds sad, yet her shadowed love must be all the more pure and profound."

This fine collection is edited by Amelia Fieldon and Beverley George of Australia and Pat Prime of New Zealand.

Reading through the tanka last night I was blown away. So good, so moving, so delicate. I'm over the moon to be included within the pages. And dare I say that tanka is edging ahead of haiku as my first love . . .

NeverEnding Story: Last Call for Haiku/Tanka Submissions

NeverEnding Story: Cool Announcement: Last Call for Haiku/Tanka Submi...: My Dear Fellow Poets: This is the last call for haiku/tanka submissions. The accepted haiku/tanka will be translated into Chinese and posted on NeverEnding Story and Twitter. Click on link above to follow post . . .

Happy National Poetry Day New Zealand!

That's right, today is New Zealand's Poetry Day.

How will you be celebrating?

Check out this link to find an event in your area.


I'm pleased to announce that I have finally finished putting my poetry collection together this month, and that is certainly something to celebrate! As I write, my manuscript is being read by three generous and talented poet friends so I can get some feedback before moving forward.

While we're all waiting to see my collection come out in book form (it will happen!) why not check out A New Resonance 8: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku, which I featured in this year with my biggest ever crop of haiku in one publication: 15. It's almost like having a chapbook, in an anthology with 16 other chapbooks! :-)

You can read the first New Zealand review here, written by Tony Beyer. He writes of my work . . .

"Kirsten Cliff's characteristic sensitivity is demonstrated throughout her contribution:

wind gusts--
the letter was not
meant for me

Nature and human nature, co-dependant in our existence, operate in harmony through her lines. She stands up well in this international company and richly deserves the wider audience her inclusion in A New Resonance should bring her."

I have for sale copies of A New Resonance 8 (Eds. Dee Evetts & Jim Kacian, Red Moon Press 2013). If you'd like your copy signed by me, sent from Hobbiton, and with one of my handcrafted cards as a free gift to you for your support, then please contact me here. I'd love to hear from you!

Me beside the "Welcome to Hobbiton, Matamata, New Zealand" sign in my hometown. (click on image to enlarge)

The Winner of the "A New Resonance 8" Book Draw is . . .

Carole Harrison

Congratulations, Carole! A copy of A New Resonance 8 will be on its way to you soon, along with one of my handcrafted cards.

Here's one of Carole's haibun created during the month:

Day 17

"Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go." ~Hermann Hesse

murrumbidgee -
a submerged log letting go
of the morning

~CaroleH 
Note: Murrumbidgee, a large river in SE Australia

Thanks to everyone who took part in I Quote, You 'Ku this July. Your support of my month-long project is much appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed taking part. It was a great way to celebrate my birthday. :-)

If you'd like to buy your own copy of A New Resonace 8: Emerging Voice in English-Language Haiku (Eds. Jim Kacian and Dee Evetts, Red Moon Press 2013) then please drop me a line. Read the first New Zealand review here.

FYI: All the 52 names of poets who posted went into the online tool 'Pick a Winner!' from which one was randomly selected.

My July Challenge: I Quote, You 'Ku

Welcome to July, dear readers! The month of my birth in which I want to celebrate haikai with you.

Everyone loves a good quote, has a favourite or two, whether they're a writer or not. I am no exception and so have gathered together 31 quotes that have touched me for the month of July to bring you “I Quote, You 'Ku”. 

What you'll need to do to take part: write a haiku or tanka inspired by the daily quote posted on Swimming in Lines of Haiku to form a haibun (or tanka prose). Place it in the comments section, and then enjoy reading other participants 'ku! You can write a new haiku or tanka each day, or feel free to post previously published poems, or a mix of both.

This daily challenge was inspired by Aubrie Cox's I Doodle, You 'Ku, practices in Margaret D. McGee's Haiku - the sacred art (where she writes haiku sparked from bible passages), and Jim Kacian's Haibun Masterclass at the 2012 New Zealand Haiku Conference.

My gift to you: everyone that posts a poem in the comments section as least once will go into the draw to win a copy of A New Resonance 8: Emerging Voices in English Language Haiku (eds. Jim Kacian and Dee Evetts, Red Moon Press 2013). The last day of July is my birthday, but I'll do the draw on August 1st so that the Northern Hemisphere has caught up.

Call it a challenge, call it an experiment, call it a learning exercise, call it a daily writing prompt, call it a community collaboration. Either way I do hope that you'll call it fun!

• Find I Quote, You 'Ku - Day 1 here and post your 'ku in the comments section there.
• Find I Quote, You 'Ku - Day 2 here and post your 'ku in the comments section there.
• Find I Quote, You 'Ku - Day 3 here and post your 'ku in the comments section there. 
• Find I Quote, You 'Ku - Day 4 here and post your 'ku in the comments section there. 
• Find I Quote, You 'Ku - Day 5 here and post your 'ku in the comments section there. 
• Find I Quote, You 'Ku - Day 6 here and post your 'ku in the comments section there. 
• Find I Quote, You 'Ku - Day 7 here and post your 'ku in the comments section there.

I have arrived . . .

By which I mean that my bounty of A New Resonance 8 books arrived yesterday . . . By which I mean that the postie left a card in the letterbox saying that the parcel was too big for said letterbox and that my driveway was "too scary" to ascend for the delivery, so I was to go into the post office to pick it up myself!

This huge, and quite heavy, US postal bag is what I found when I got there. Wow!

I am super excited to be in this volume with sixteen other "emerging" haiku poets, and to be the only Southern Hemisphere dweller amongst them. A New Resonance 8 is published by Red Moon Press and edited by Jim Kacian and Dee Evetts, and is said to be the finest volume yet.

Front cover (click to enlarge)

If you'd like to buy your copy from me, and have it sent from Hobbiton, I'm including one of my unique handcrafted cards in with every book. It'll be my gift to you for supporting my creative journey. Here are two examples of the cards I have to send out. I'm also happy to sign the book for you, just let me know. 

I can receive payments via PayPal if you're outside New Zealand. Or if you're a Kiwi, there are a range of ways you can make a purchase. Please email me. Book priced at NZ$20 / US$17 + P&P.

Back cover (click to enlarge)

My congratulations to all of the poets in this volume (see back cover image above) some of which I've had contact with, and others that I haven't. Didn't we do well? I hope readers enjoy what we all have to offer. I know I'll be enjoying the experience for a long time to come.

c.2.2. -- Anthology of short verse

The c.2.2. anthology, edited by Alan Summers and Brendan Slater, and published by Yet To Be Named Free Press has just been released! All works appear under a pen name, but I can now reveal that two of my poems are within its pages . . .

silent night terror




New Year's Day
the only thing different
this calendar

c.2.2. is an anthology of short-verse poetry tackling themes such as loss of identity, poverty, racism, homelessness, unsentimental love, crime, punishment, in short, real life. Each poet is identified by a pen-name, there are no frills, lavender or lace in these pages, just honest, gritty and experimental verse that will hopefully make the reader sit up and take notice, get inspired and rethink the role of short-verse in not only the poetry world but also in society which is after all both subject and audience.

c.2.2. can be purchased from Createspace here and soon from Amazon; see the press release here. I've ordered mine and can't wait to read it! My thanks to the editors for this exciting new project.

A Puzzle of Poetry

I'm pleased to say that I have begun playing with the puzzle that is my first poetry collection, Patient Property. I've been writing for this collection since being diagnosed with leukaemia in March 2010, and it's only recently that my treatment has finally come to a conclusion. That's a lot of experiences to draw on!

At this stage all the relevant haiku, senryu, tanka, and haibun I've written over the past 2+ years is printed out and blue-tacked onto the back of my study door. From there I'm working out in what order the poems should appear, what stays and what goes, and if there are any gaps in my story for which new works need to be written.

Having never done this before, I can tell you it's a challenging job; though no bigger a task than I had expected it would be. I think I'll be a good few months working my way through the ups and downs of this process. I'm very grateful that a few fellow poets have already put their hands up to be early readers.

In the meantime (and long before my book sees the world!) will be my appearance in A New Resonance 8: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku. I'm very excited to have my haiku chosen for this volume, which will see a sizable body of my work published in one place for the first time. Many thanks to editors Jim Kacian and Dee Evetts, and all those who have supported my haiku habit over the past six years!

Now I just have to get over the small shock I feel every time I close my study door and am suddenly confronted with a wall of poetry! How is it that I keep forgetting it's there . . .

A Big Small Kindness

Big thanks to the girls at Cafe Botannix Bethlehem last Wednesday who turned off the music that afternoon at my request. My hubby has Asperger's Syndrome and he has extreme noise sensitivity as a result. It can be really hard for us to find a quiet place to treat ourselves to a coffee. We seriously appreciate the kindness these staff members showed. It meant the world to my husband at that moment. YOU ROCK!

This blog post is part of the Small Kindnesses Blogsplash. You can still get involved. Find out all the info here. As part of the blogsplash Fiona Robyn's novel Small Kindnesses is FREE on Kindle today. Enjoy! :)

With Cherries on Top

Super stoked to find that the pdf book of haiku and senryu from the 31 Different NaHaiWriMo Prompters in August 2012 is available now for FREE download! With Cherries on Top: 31 Flavors of NaHaiWriMo, edited by Michael Dylan Welch can be found here. 

I'm grateful to have the following four haiku included (hubby has one in there too!) along with so many other writers from the online haiku community. Thanks to Michael for the ideas and for putting them into action; thanks to the 31 daily prompters, and thanks to all those who took part in the Facebook haikufest that is NaHaiWriMo.


laundry day . . .
when did my feet
last touch the sand

     (Sand prompt from Vincent Hoarau) 


                              growing dusk . . .
                              the stillborn calf
                              is taken away

                              (Birth prompt from Christina Nguyen)

the lion in her  full moon

     (Lion prompt from Alegria Imperial)

                              psychiarist's office—

                              the painting of a boat
                              hung off-centre

                              (Boats prompt from Alison Williams) 



P.S. Also available for FREE download is the pdf book of small stones from Mindful Writing Day, edited by Fiona Robyn and Kaspa. You'll find that here. Enjoy all the weekend reading! :)

Small Kindnesses Blogsplash

A new blogsplash event organised by Fiona Robyn and Writing Our Way Home...

On Tuesday the 27th of November I'm joining the Small Kindnesses Blogsplash and writing about a special small kindness someone paid me in the past. Would you like to join me?

The Blogsplash is organised by Fiona Robyn to celebrate the release of her novel 'Small Kindnesses' which will be free on Kindle on the day. All you have to do is write something about being kind - a memory of someone who was kind to you, a list of kindnesses over the past week, or something kind you did for someone else. It'll be a celebration of kindness in all its forms, especially those little kind acts that make all the difference.

To find out more visit Fiona's blog, or join the Facebook event. Do ask your friends to join you, and feel free to copy this blog onto your own to help us spread the word.

See you on the 27th! :)

Building a time machine

I'm really pleased to once again have haiku in the annual New Zealand Poetry Society Anthology, which was edited by Owen Bullock this year. It contains all the winning entries of the NZPS International Haiku and Open Poetry Competitions, as well as work chosen 'blind' by the editor from the remaining poems entered.




My first haiku won a Highly Commended placing:

bus stop
the moonlight
on her cane



This second haiku was chosen by the editor:

his gentle snores
when did I last
see the stars . . .



You can order your copy of the NZPS 2012 anthology Building a time machine here (PayPal is available).

A Blackbird Sings

I'm very pleased to let readers know that the 2012 anthology of small stones is now available on Kindle, and for pre-order on Amazon. A Blackbird Sings: a book of short poems is edited by Fiona Robyn and Kaspalita and will have a special launch on November 1st, the first ever Mindful Writing Day. Once again, people from all around the world with gather to pay attention and write it down. These small stones will be gathered by Fiona and Kaspa and published on their Writing Our Way Home blog, where they'll be giving away five free paperbacks of A Blackbird Sings to their favourites. And also on this day the Kindle version of the anthology will be FREE! Find all the Mindful Writing Day info here. I hope you'll join us. :)

Here are my two poems in the anthology, which are in good company, including many of my haiku poet friends:

Cover by Ken Hurd

gold moon

my nose pressed against

cold glass

                         empty glass
                         the sound
                         of his sobs

Holiday activities

August 12th NaHaiWriMo prompt is "holiday activities", provided by Annie Juhl. 

even on our honeymoon book-hunting

Find out more about the 31 Different NaHaiWriMo Prompters for August 2012 here.

breakfast with epiphanies

This year Owen Bullock started his own e-newsletter called The Greensplat Newsletter to keep those he has worked with in the poetry world in touch with what he's up to with his workshops, mentoring and other events. In his first issue he showcased one of my tanka, and I wrote a bit about his involvement in my poetry career:

It's a pleasure for any teacher to see a Former Student go on to enjoy success and publication. One such name that makes me glow with pride is Kirsten Cliff. She has kindly allowed me to re-print one of her tanka and a few comments which she sent me:

re-negotiating

my drug regime

with the doctors

I tell them that today

they may see me cry

Kirsten Cliff (first published in paper wasp 17:3)

"You have certainly played an instrumental part in my developing as a poet: being the first to say my haiku was good and that I should submit to Kokako, then teaching me through the Waiariki course and again recommending I seek publication for some of my poems, right through to your tanka workshop with the Papamoa Poets group, which got me firmly on the tanka trail." Kirsten

Kirsten is now one of New Zealand's most frequently published poets in the genres of haiku and tanka, appearing in a range of journals internationally. Her work was anthologised in the taste of nashi - New Zealand Haiku.

I'm now pleased to tell you about his newest haiku collection, breakfast with epiphanies.  

  

                                           two attempts

                                           at the trouser leg

                                           New Year's Day 

“Reading breakfast with epiphanies reminds us again why Owen Bullock is one of New Zealand’s most accomplished haiku poets. Owen’s haiku makes its impact quickly with a minimum of words. The haiku enter our minds the way experience of the physical world does, through our senses. In each of his finely-crafted poems, he directs our attention to specific moments, helps us to celebrate them and to let them go. Owen’s finely honed haiku explore a range of ideas, from the self, to his innermost thoughts about relationships, to his delight in nature.”

Patricia Prime, Co-editor of Kokako

                                            log split
                                            a moth
                                            flies out


Owen Bullock began writing haiku in 1999 and since then his work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, such as Presence, The Heron's Nest, Magnapoets, Red Moon, etc, in seven countries. This is his second collection of haiku, following wild camomile (Post Pressed, Australia, 2009). He also publishes tanka, haibun and renga, as well as longer forms of poetry, and fiction. Owen has been an editor of Spin, Kokako, Bravado and Poetry NZ, and was one of the editors of Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka, Volume IV.

Copies of Owen Bullock's new collection of haiku, breakfast with epiphanies, can be purchased direct from him by cheque to: 890 State Highway 2, RD1, Katikati 3177, priced NZ$20 (plus $2 p&p; $4 outside NZ). Or email him to arrange a direct transfer. Find out more at: http://www.owenbullock.com/

New Zealand's National Poetry Day & a question for YOU!

Well, today's the day! Events are happening all around the country. For a list take a look here. But what I want to know is:   

How do you get your daily dose of haiku?

I read from Martin Lucas' Stepping Stones: a way into haiku daily, and have been doing so for maybe a year now. (I must have missed a few daily readings because there's only a years worth in there!). I also check in to the on-line haiku journal DailyHaiku each day and most days also now see what the Per Diem: Daily Haiku is on The Haiku Foundation home page (mid way down the page on the right hand side.)

My haiku reading also comes from Facebook posts and blogs I'm subscribed to. And then when new journals arrive in my letterbox I'll read them on a daily basis until I'm sated. Lastly, as I've been involved in writing quite a few rengay and renku this year, I'm almost daily reading haiku related to my latest linking verse. So much fun! :)

Enjoy National Poetry Day New Zealand! And enjoy your daily dose of haiku, where ever you are! :)