December Daze

Things have gotten hectic this month. Even if you're not a big Christmas person you certainly can't help but get caught up in the rush of others as they proceed to shop, celebrate, and ready themselves for the big day. All this extra buzz and busyness makes things like supermarket parking difficult and appointments for haircuts hard to come by, even in a small country town!

So you'll find me at home making some Christmas cards for family and putting the finishing touches on my 2014 calendar of haiku and photography, which I invited my hubby to be a part of this year. We have six months each and it's pretty cool to have our two styles represented within the pages for our family to enjoy.

Below is my last calendar page for 2013. Click on image to enlarge.

I achieved some big things this year: the biggest of all being completing my first poetry collection and sending it in to the Snapshot Press Book Awards. It will be a long few months yet before I hear anything back about the contest, but it's exciting enough to have fulfilled my goal and the rest is out of my hands for now. 

Another big highlight of my writing year was being part of A New Resonance 8: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku (Red Moon Press). I still have copies of this for sale, so please get in touch if you'd like one to give as a Christmas gift to yourself or to someone else. Just send me an email.

2013 also included writing tanka sequences with Pamela A. Babusci and Seánan Forbes (a delight); judging the junior section of the NZPS International Haiku Competition (great fun); coming 5th in the open section of the NZPS International Haiku Competition (yay!), and editing a month of dream haiku thanks to The Haiku Foundation's 'Per Diem:Daily Haiku' feature. Hard to believe it's all coming to an end . . .

So, what does 2014 hold? In regards to the writing realm I'm not sure, but stay tuned!

NZPS 2013 International Haiku Competitions

New Zealand Poetry Society International Haiku Competition

For haiku and senryu. Cash prizes of $NZ100 each for the first five placings, plus the Jeanette Stace Memorial Prize of $NZ150 for the winner. All winning haiku, plus selected others from competition entries, will be published in the annual anthology. Judge: Nola Borrell.
Closes: May 31, in hand.
Cost: $NZ1.50/haiku, for NZPS members every 5th haiku is free. It is possible to pay via the website.
For full details see the website.

New Zealand Poetry Society Junior Haiku Competition

For haiku and senryu. Open to entrants 17 years of age or younger on May 31, 2013. Three cash prizes of $NZ50 each in both the primary/intermediate and secondary sections, plus the Jeanette Stace Memorial Prize of $NZ100 for the overall winner. All winning haiku, plus selected others from competition entries, will be published in the annual anthology. Judge: Kirsten Cliff.
Closes: May 31, in hand.
Cost: $NZ1/haiku or 4 Kiwi stamps/3 haiku.
For full details see the website.

http://www.poetrysociety.org.nz/2013haikuandhaikujunior

The 7th Kokako Haiku and Senryu Competition

Closing date: 31st October 2013

First Prize NZ$200

Second and Third Place prizes of NZ$50 each

Judge: Barbara Strang

Send entries to:

The Kokako Haiku Competition,

Patricia Prime, co-editor

42 Flanshaw Road

Te Atatu South

Auckland 0610

New Zealand

Please make cheques out to Kokako

Overseas entrants may send cash at their own risk

Conditions of entry

1. Haiku must be previously unpublished and not under consideration elsewhere.
2. Entry fee is NZ$5 for every 3 haiku; for overseas entries, AU$4 or US$4 for every 3 haiku. Cheques acceptable or cash at your own risk.
3. Send two copies of each group of haiku, with your name, address and email on one copy only.
4. 1st, 2nd & 3rd haiku, 3 Highly Commended and 3 Commended entries will be published in Kokako 20 (April 2014).
5. Winners will be notified by email or mail.
6. Any theme is acceptable.

Any queries, email: pprime (at) ihug (dot) co (dot) nz