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.

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

Moon Tanka...

Don't forget to share your moon-themed tanka with Maragret Dornaus for her birthday bash giveaway. You have until July 20, and go into the draw to win a copy of Modern Japanese Tanka. Here's mine:

          Why did my DNA

          mutate...

          pacing this shoreline

          my answers come bathed

          in healing moonlight

© Kirsten Cliff 2012

More Great Giveaways...

...From Kathy Nguyen this Northern Summer Holidays over at her blog Origami Lotus Poetry. There is a haibun contest, a haiga contest, and there's still time to be part of the big blog bash for artists of all kinds! Check out all the details at the links. And have fun :)

Competition Results

At the beginning of this month I was busy judging my first haiku competition - The Haiku My Photo Challenge devised and run by Christine L. Villa over at her blog Blosson Rain. It wasn't an easy task! But a great learning experience for me and a joy to get intimate with some really good haiku. You can read my judge's comments and see the winning haiku as a haiga here.

Chrissi ran this contest to thank the on-line haiku community for giving her so much support and encouragement. While you're visiting Blosson Rain please send out a prayer for Chrissi. Her husband is currently battling a brain tumour and they both need our love and support. Kia kaha, Chrissi!

The other competition that closed at the beginning of this month was Kathy Uyen Nguyen's NaPoWriMo Book Giveaway over on her blog Origami Lotus Poetry. It was judged by Kathy and Peter Newton, who's book she was giving away. My rengay writing buddy Cara Holman was the runner-up, and you can see the winning poems and judge's comments here.

I'm hoping to run a tanka competition here at Swimming in Lines of Haiku in my birthday month of July. I have a great prize for the winner! I just hope my health lets me do it. Watch this space! :)

Two Great NaPoWriMo Giveaways!

The wonderfully supportive and energetic Kathy Nguyen is running two competitions to celebrate National Poetry Month.

The first is a haiku/senryu/tanka contest on her blog - Origami Lotus Poetry
Take a look at all the details here, and you'll be able to see my entry already in the comments section.
She is giving away a copy of Peter Newton's What We Find to the winner, and you can read her review of the book here.

The second is for WOWH members and the giveaway is one of Fiona's or Kaspa's e-courses!
You can find the prompt and all the info here, and if you're not already part of the Writing Our Way Home community then why not consider joining. You can find out more about WOWH here.

There's still lots of fun to be had this April!

Can I Have A Drum Roll Please...

In the draw for the taste of nashi (Windrift, 2008) were twenty-two new followers, and the winner is Pamela A. Babusci!

In the draw for Before the Sirocco (NZPS, 2008) were the new followers plus five people who were already followers and had left a message on one of my posts through July, and the winner is Dawn Cagle Apanius!

Thanks to everyone who has joined me here in the past month. A wrap-up of my poetic July coming soon, as well as lots more haiku, senryu and tanka!

small stones of gratitude - day 31

Today I'm most thankful for words: the words that allow me to express my true self through poetry; the words that mix with my crafts and photography becoming a whole other art form; the words that find me during my greatest struggles; the printed words, the spoken words, the words that float in cyberspace; the words that comfort and encourage, the words that support and inspire, the words that let me know I'm loved.

Thank you for reading my words and sharing your words with me. Here's to many more words, however they may manifest!

Me in our home library having just got back
from my birthday dinner with family last night,
& here's the haiku I wrote on the drive home:

birthday dinner -
every star a dream
that might come true

I'm sharing my birthday with you, and my practise of gratitude and abundance, by having a book give-away. I'm definitely giving away two books and will make the draw on August 2nd. So if it's still July 31st where you are then you still have time to get in the draw. Find all the details here and come join me!

small stones of gratitude - day 30

Grateful that I can swap, share and talk books with my family: Mum said last week that she takes her library books back soon after finishing them (as opposed to waiting for their due date) because other people might be waiting to read them :)

(Last couple of days to get into the draw for my book give-away! Find all the details here.)

small stones of gratitude - day 29

I give thanks today for the unexpected sight of a monarch butterfly flitting around the garden as I lay resting in my favourite lounge spot; the winter sun inching closer hour upon hour and the trees with their leaves and shadows swaying to the sound of the wind chimes.

(There's still time to get in the draw for the taste of nashi NZ Haiku. See here.)

small stones of gratitude - day 28

Today I give thanks to the shadows in my world: the ones that dance behind these curtains pretending to be trees; the many that radiate stillness like the inanimate objects they haunt; and to my own shadow, which holds all I try to push away but doesn't ever let me forget its importance in the balance of my spirit.

Photo by Cameron Elliot.

Last few days to get into my book draw! Details here.

small stones of gratitude - day 27

winter sun -

I show my gratitude

with this smile

(Come join me this month and go in the draw for my book give-away!)

small stones of gratitude - day 26

Grateful for today's change in plans that meant laughter and coffee and hugs.

(Get in the draw for the taste of nashi New Zealand Haiku here.)

small stones of gratitude - day 25

Grateful for the hope I find in his pine tree seedlings.

My partner's pine tree seedlings.
It's a joy for us both to watch them grow.

Last week to get in my book draw. Read all about it here.

small stones of gratitude - day 24

Grateful to the thrush who caught my eye this morning and pulled me away from the computer screen, and all the sadness I was finding there.

(Want to win a book? Get in the draw here.)

Photos from the Papamoa Poetry Walk for National Poetry Day

Me with my haiku at Fashion Island in Papamoa.
Photo taken by Cameron Elliot. 22/7/2011

My haiku won an Honourable Mention in the
Haiku International Association Haiku Contest (Japan) 2009

Cameron with his senryu at Fashion Island in Papamoa.
Photo taken by Kirsten Cliff. 22/7/2011

Cameron's senryu was first published in Kokako 12 (April, 2010)

Don't forget that I'm giving away the New Zealand Haiku Anthology the taste of nashi this month. Just become a follower to get in the draw. See the full details here and come join me!

small stones of gratitude - day 23

Grateful for the slow start to Saturday: the traffic takes its time to wind up to its full roar, the childcare centre next door lays dormant, and my diary is free of any medical appointments.

(I'm giving away a book next week. Get in the draw here.)

small stones of gratitude - day 22

My thanks today goes to the joy I find in food: the sweetness of seasonal pumpkin in a roast vegetable salad; the inky blue inside a warm blueberry muffin; that first sip of coffee on a cold winter morning, and the bitter melt of dark chocolate on my tongue.

(Get in on the draw for the taste of nashi The NZ Haiku Anthology here.)

small stones of gratitude - day 21

grateful today
for this winter wind
the only force
that can take away
my deepest sorrow

(Become a follower in July and go in the draw for my book give-away here.)

small stones of gratitude - day 20

I give thanks for the light that is poetry, which penetrates my darkness of ill health.

(It's my birthday & I'm sharing it with readers by giving away a book. Go here.)