2006

4th Quarter | 3rd Quarter | 2nd Quarter | 1st Quarter

Fourth Quarterly Meeting 2006: December 2: New York City, NY

Third Quarterly Meeting 2006: Winston Salem, NC - September 16 (Annual Meeting)

The North Carolina Haiku Society hosted the HSA Quarterly Meeting for the Fall of 2006. This was the first time that an HSA Quarterly Meeting is held in the Old North State. Most of the events will take place on Saturday, September 16, 2006.

First Quarterly Meeting 2006: March 4: Boston, MA

2005

4th Quarter | 3rd Quarter | 2nd Quarter | 1st Quarter

Fourth Quarterly Meeting 2005: December 3, 2005: New York, NY

Third Quarterly Meeting 2005: September 25, 2005: Port Townsend, WA

(at the Haiku North America Conference, September 21-25)

Second Quarterly Meeting 2005: June 24-26, 2005: Minneapolis, MN

First Quarterly Meeting 2005: Aril 1-3, 2005: Evanston, IL

(in conjunction with the C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago)

2004

4th Quarter | 3rd Quarter | 2nd Quarter | 1st Quarter

Fourth Quarterly Meeting 2004: to be announced

National HSA Meeting in Seattle in December:

All HSA members and friends are invited to attend the fourth quarterly meeting of the Haiku Society of America on Saturday, December 4, in Redmond, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. Weekend events begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 3, with a reading from The Tanka Anthology at Elliott Bay Book Company (http://www.elliottbaybook.com/index.jsp), Seattle's premier bookstore. Featured readers include Margaret Chula, Christopher Herold, Michael McClintock, Pamela Miller Ness, Francine Porad, Michael Dylan Welch, and Paul O. Williams. 

On Saturday, December 4, from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., the HSA meeting will be held in meeting room #2 at the Redmond Regional Library (http://www.kcls.org/red/redhomepage.cfm) at 15990 NE 85th Street in Redmond, which is about 20 to 30 minutes east of downtown Seattle. Presenters, with papers, workshops, or readings, include Michael McClintock, Pamela Miller Ness, Charlie Trumbull, Michael Dylan Welch, and Ruth Yarrow. The new Northwest regional haiku anthology will also make its debut with a reading of the entire book, complete with koto musical accompaniment provided by Elizabeth Falconer. The day's events will include a break for lunch, a book table, and much socializing. Please bring a printed selection of your poems (such as in a trifold brochure) to trade with others and to read at open reading times. Evening events include a visit to the Bellevue Botanical Garden for its spectacular Garden d'Lights show of holiday lights (http://www.bellevuebotanical.org/calendar/fmcalendar.htm), and then a meal at a nearby restaurant. We are also working on a haiku activity for Sunday, December 5. If you're planning to come for the weekend, please let us know. 

Quarterly Meeting Schedule for December 4, 2004

10:00 - Welcome and Introductions (round of haiku reading)

10:30 - “Driveway from Childhood: Excavating Key Images Through Haiku”
Workshop led by Pamela Miller Ness, HSA newsletter editor (New York City)

11:30 - Lunch break (nearby restaurants)

1:00 - Haiku Society of America business meeting and announcements (and round of haiku reading)
Charles Trumbull , HSA president (Evanston, Illinois)

1:45 - Wind Shows Itself — reading of the 2004 Northwest regional haiku anthology (edited by Larry Hussey, Connie Hutchison, Mary Fran Meer, Francine Porad, and Marilyn Sandall, with artwork by Carol Blackbird Edson)

Read by
Carol Blackbird Edson,
Dejah Thoris Leger, and
Dean Summers
Koto music by
Elizabeth Falconer

2:15 - “The Difference Between Haiku and Senryu” Workshop led by Michael Dylan Welch, HSA first vice president

3:15 - Break

3:45 - Haiku reading: Michael McClintock (Pasadena, California)

4:00 - “Haiku Awareness in Wartime?” Presentation by Ruth Yarrow

4:30 - Round of haiku reading

5:00 - Depart for the Bellevue Botanical Garden (12001 Main Street in Bellevue) to view the “Garden d’Lights” holiday light display

7:30 - Dinner at Las Margaritas Mexican Restaurant (private room) 437 108th Ave NE in Bellevue (425-453-0535) “Haiku Database Project” Presentation by Charlie Trumbull Music performance by singer-songwriter Dejah Thoris Leger Rounds of haiku reading

If you need help with local transportation or hotels, please contact Marilyn Sandall at msandall1@mindspring.com or 206-523-5525, or Michael Dylan Welch at welchm@aol.com or 425-836-8875. Northwest haiku poets look forward to seeing you at this special meeting!

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Third Quarterly Meeting (National Meeting) 2004: 

Saturday, September 17–18 at: 

Tenri Cultural Institute
43 A West 13th Street (between 5th and 6th)
New York, NY 10011

Time: 2:30 - 7:30 pm

Speakers:
Charles Trumbull - Presentation: Haiku Database
Also - Important Vote on new haiku definition, related HSA business

William Higginson & Penny Harter: Renku workshop

Michael Dylan Welch: Prensentation: "The Four Stages of Haiku Mastery"

Tom Painting: Writing and Editing Workshop

Any questions please contact the regional coordinator, Efren Estevez, at the coordinates at the bottom of this message.
--

Related Events open to all:

Friday Night, September 17:
1) 5:30 - 7:30 Wine & Cheese Party at Pamela Miller Ness's, 33 Riverside Drive, Apt. 4-G (212)875-9342 RSVP by Wednesday 9/15

2) 7:30 Dutch treat dinner at Zen Palate, 2170 Broadway (between 76th & 77th Streets) RSVP to Pamela by Wednesday, 9/15

Saturday Evening:
1) Dinner after the Annual meeting at a local restaurant

2) Party at Hiro Sato's apartment (2 blocks from Tenri Institute directions available at the Annual Meeting)

2) Sachiyo Ito Dance Event (see this link for details)

Look forward to seeing one and all!
Efren

Efren Estevez
jice2@optonline.net 
Tel: 516 922 5132

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Second Quarterly Meeting 2004: June 18–20, Boston, MA

Friday, June 18: 7–10 PM

Renku writing conducted by Judson Evans and Raffael de Gruttola, hosted by Karen Klein at her house in Cambridge, 416 Mt Auburn St.

Saturday, June 19 (at the Kaji Aso Studio, 40 St. Stephen St., Boston)

9-12 noon - HSA EC mtg.

1-2 PM - General Meeting: greetings, reports, haiku go-around by members present.

2-3 PM - Tanka Reading by five poets in the Red Moon Tanka Anthology

3-3:30 PM - Short intermission & review of books by publishers

3:30-4:30 PM - MWRA renku group: multimedia presentation with slides, music, and blues singer Lloyd Thayer, dobro.

4:30-5:30 PM - Readings by the haiku poets of Western M.A. from their recent anthology, NAMI.

5:30 to 7 PM - Dinner at a nearby Asian Restaurant

7-8 PM - Sumi-e Demonstration by Kaji Aso

8-9 PM - Reading of haiku, tanka, and haibun by BHS members

Sunday, June 20: 10 AM (convene at the Kaji Aso Studio)

A visit to the public Rose Garden behind the Museum of Fine Arts in Fenway. For additional information, contact Raffael de Gruttola at cellinixo@aol.com 

First Quarterly Meeting 2004: March 19–21, Fort Worth, TX

The first quarterly meeting of 2004 will be hosted by the Fort Worth Haiku Society. If you are coming, please contact Brenda Roberts at brephoenix@aol.com.

Friday evening, March 19

5:30 Gather in the Green Oaks Hotel lobby

6:00 Supper in a nearby restaurant 8:00 getting acquainted -- sharing poetry and time

Saturday, March 20

9:00-10:00 HSA EC meeting at Four Star Coffee Bar

10:00-12:00 Japanese Garden ginko (weather permitting -- alternate plans for museum or tour of Tropical Garden under glass at the Botanic Gardens)

12:00 -1:30 Lunch at Ol' South Pancake House

1:30-2:00 Report by the HSA president on Society business (back at Hotel)

2:00-2:40 "Haiku in Hispanic America" (Bonnie Frederick)

2:45-3:25 "72 Spells" (Susan Delaney)

3:30-4:00 Break (browse book tables)

4:00-4:30 "Native American Haiku" (Charles Trumbull)

4:45 - 5:30 "haiku: the road to revision" Tom Painting & Pamela Miller Ness (participants should bring work in progress "those haiku they feel are not quite there yet and may benefit from revision in a workshop setting)

5:30 - 6:30 private time -- rest & refresh

6:30-8:30 Dinner at a nearby restaurant

8:30 or so Haiku Reading in the hotel

Sunday, March 21

8:00 Breakfast at the hotel (check out before noon)

9:00 (Tarantula Train - tentative) trip to stockyards possible in place of the train if not available.

The meeting will take place at:

Green Oaks Hotel
6901 West Highway
Fort Worth, TX 76116-1725
phone: (817) 738-7311
www.greenoakshotel.com

There is no cost for the conference, and the general public is welcome to participate. (We may pass the hat to offset some of our out-of-pocket expenses.) Lodging (the hotel is offering special rates to HSA members), special events and meals are the responsibility of the attendees.

For additional information, please contact coordinator Brenda Roberts at brephoenix@aol.com.

2003

4th Quarter | 3rd Quarter | 2nd Quarter | 1st Quarter

Fourth Quarterly Meeting 2003: Saturday, December 6, San Francisco, CA

Mark your calendars for Saturday, December 6 when the quarterly HSA meeting meeting will be held in San Francisco at Fort Mason Center, Room C-235. There will be presentations, workshops, readings, and music. Here are the planned activities:

• Jack Foley from KPFA radio in Berkeley will give a talk on haiku of the Beat poets.

• June Hymas will speak on the history of the Yuki Teikei Haiku Society.

• Fay Aoyagi and Patricia Machmiller will read from Kiyoko’s Sky, Kiyoko Tokutomi’s book of haiku that they translated. They also will discuss how they worked together to retain Kiyoko’s style and meaning.

• Rich Krivcher will pay tribute to Earl Johnson.

• Carolyn Hall and Pamela Miller Ness will be featured readers.

• Paul O. Williams will conduct a workshop on how to transform poetic dust into distinctive haiku.

• Garry Gay will moderate a panel discussion on haibun. Panelists will include Ebba Story, Jerry Kilbride, w. f. owen, and Paul O. Williams.

• Gerard Yun will play shakuhachi and talk the origins of the instrument.

• Laurie Stoelting and photographer Paul Mckown will perform a haiku slide show duet.

The conference is open to everyone and will run from 10 A.M. until 5 P.M. with a break for lunch. A $10 donation for the day is recommended.

After the conference, we will meet at La Barca Mexican restaurant for dinner and the Haiku Poets of Northern California (HPNC) Christmas party.

If you plan to come, please contact Rich Krivcher at (916) 965-8072 or aproposediting@juno.com.

— Rich Krivcher

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Third Quarterly Meeting (National Meeting) 2003: September 20-22, Evanston, IL

Notes from the HSA Executive Commitee Meeting and Other Remarks

Back to you again to report on another successful EC meeting. This one took place in Evanston, Illinois at the 3rd National HSA meeting. Though we did not have a quorum, many important issues and ideas were discussed in order to set the stage for the following year. Pamela Miller Ness and I were in attendance as well as our invited guest, Charlie Trumbull. Charlie, as you may well know, has literally been one of the pillars of the HSA. He was the newsletter editor for a number of years and has made countless contributions to our society as well as the haiku community in general. Pamela and I thought it a great opportunity to tap into some of Charlie’s knowledge while we were in the neighborhood.

The first thing I brought to the table was that as president, I recently created an HSA Definitions Committee and appointed Bill Higginson as chair. There has been a feeling all around that the “official definition” needed to be revisited. Bill was happy to take on this daunting task and reactivated the previous definition’s committee from the early 90’s. The two other members are Lee Gurga and Naomi Brown. Please join me in a big thank you to them all. (For more detail, please see Bill’s committee report in this issue of the newsletter.)

Another important topic, that I felt needed to be addressed head-on is that of the annual membership anthology. Every year we have a different guest editor/s who puts together this important document for posterity’s sake. The anthology is a panoramic snapshot of who we are at a given time. This anthology is a place were we ALL can be represented, and its editorial and production values reflect on our organization. In the past and more recently, we’ve had wonderful anthologies, but each one has had different production values as well as editorial styles. What I believe we need is to create a coordinator’s position to oversee the anthology every year. (This position does not necessarily have to be an EC position.) This coordinator would serve as a resource to the guest editor so that each publication would be assured of a certain amount of editorial and stylistic consistency. This position or job could also be tagged onto an existing officer’s list of responsibilities, but I think that could be too taxing. If there were an anthology coordinator’s position, that person could handle most of the advertising, printing issues and selling issues, so that the guest editor could focus on the main task at hand.

On a similar note, we would like to thank Jerry Ball, Naia, and Wendy Wright for editing the 2002 anthology that just came out. Word has it that the 2003 anthology edited by David G. Lanoue is at the printer as we speak and should be in your hands very soon. I hope for 2004 that every member will participate by submitting to the anthology. This is your society and everyone should be represented. Thank you again to all past, present and future editors as well as contributors!

Another item on my agenda was membership numbers. We talked about the need to continue to recruit new members as well as encourage old members to renew. A good idea to increase membership is to have a guest book at all regional meetings. The regional coordinator could do a follow-up mailing, e-mail or phone call to any walk-in/visitor who showed interest. (Regional Coordinators can contact Pamela Miller Ness for HSA flyers.) HSA flyers could also be displayed on a table, so visitors could take one.

Another idea is to appoint one person in the regional group to serve as the “official welcomer”. An additional tactic is to have each member take a handful of flyers and distribute them to people they know might be interested in haiku or simply point them to our website. Yet another suggestion is for each regional coordinator to utilize the HSA website and post the date, time and location of their next meeting. This could increase the number of walk-ins. There are plenty of isolated people who surf the web and find out about us that way.

There have also been plenty of members who have faded out of the picture for various reasons. Why not e-mail or phone one of your friends who used to be active and get them back on an active basis? If we each got one person to join or rejoin we would double in size. I think this is everyone’s responsibility. Let’s make this one of our goals!

About the time you receive the [HSA Newsletter for 2003], you’ll have in your hand the 2004 election ballot. I urge everyone to vote. Please. This is each member’s right and the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process. It seems that every year, whether membership numbers are up or down, we get an average of 150 people voting give or take a few. This also means that there are about 600 members who don’t vote. This year we have a run-off in one of the positions, so this is a perfect opportunity to make you vote count. (Remember what happened in Florida!) I truly believe a strong membership is an active membership.

This is also the place to thank the HSA Nominating Committee for putting together the slate of officers for next year. This looks as if it would be an easy job, but I promise it wasn’t. The committee spent days, months, years and streams of endless e-mails to complete their job on deadline, which they did. Raffael de Gruttola chaired the committee with Howard L. Kilby and Bill Higginson also taking very active roles as members. A big thank you.

As I mentioned before, Charlie Trumbull has contributed to the society and the haiku community in many ways, and this brings me to yet another thank you. Charlie officially presented to me on behalf of the HSA the Index of Frogpond, the Journal of the Haiku Society of America. Volumes 1-25 (1978-2002). This index will be an invaluable resource for members and haiku scholars around the world and will be part of our legacy. It contains everything imaginable, and the amount of time it must have taken to research, organize and present the material is quite unimaginable. The next step will be to determine how to make this accessible to every single member. We’ve already talked about hard copy and electronic options. This is very exciting. Thank you again Charlie. (For more information on this subject please see Charlie’s note in this newsletter.)

The general meeting, as you all can guess, was a total success. Joe Kirschner, Charlie Trumbull and others did a great job planning a seamlessly smooth meeting. Everything worked like clockwork, and the attendees were showered with a well prepared presentations by poets from around the country. Kudos to them all!

Stanford M. Forrester, HSA President

Notes From the General Meeting

By all objective accounts the meeting was a splendid affair. Attendance at various activities ranged from 14 to about 35. Attendees came from the New York City area, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, downstate Illinois, Japan, and the greater Chicago area. There were even a few non-haiku poets among them.

The conference opened on Friday evening with a gathering in the University Inn lobby. From there about 14 of us went across the street to Tommy Nevins Irish Pub for dinner. Throughout the weekend, if someone was not at the session they could often be found at Nevins.
Later we went down the street to Barnes and Noble for an open-to-the-public haiku reading. A student from the local high school joined us for the entire reading. At one point she recited her first (and only) poem. Most moving. In contrast, another chap ostentatiously plopped himself down at a table directly under the nose of the reader and proceeded to bury his nose in some book on mechanics. Speaking of juxtaposition! Michael Nickels-Wisdom, who was reading at the time, continued with aplomb, not missing a syllable.

Saturday was an intensive day. President Stanford Forrester opened the meeting. The first presenter was Horst Ludvig from Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, who spoke on "Recent Haiku Analysis in Germany" and recounted his efforts to get the Deutsche Haiku Gesellschaft, of which he is a member, to include haiku-by-haiku criticism in their activities. Then, Michael Nichols-Wisdom, a member of Chi-ku, reviewed the scandal that ensued after World War II when a Japanese critic called haiku a second-rate art and adduced some rudimentary statistics to support his opinion. Michael, in his paper entitled "The Kuwabara Project: A 'Second-rate Art' Revisited" reported on his analysis of the haiku in an Internet "Haikukai" in an attempt to validate (or discredit) Kuwbara.
After a coffee-break, Lee Gurga, a past HSA president and current editor of Modern Haiku, spoke about "Some Haiku Worth Reading." Lee asked "Why do some people write haiku without ever having read one?" Good question!

Attendance was at its peak by this time and people were getting hungry for lunch (and because there are no registration fees for HSA meetings) we decided the time was ripe to pass the hat. Fortunately our strategy worked,and thanks to the generosity of all (but especially two Chi-ku members) we were able to break even financially. For lunch some of us walked over to a Lebanese restaurants.
The afternoon opened with a short business meeting at which Stanford reviewed recent activities and Pamela Miller Ness, in the absence of HSA Secretary Karen Klein, read the Secretary’s Report, announced the results of the logo contest (see story elsewhere in this Newsletter), and read and received seconds on the slate prepared by the Nominating Committee of HSA officers and regional coordinators for 2004 .

Charles Trumbull presented his paper "An Analysis of Haiku in 12-dimensional Space," an attempt at building upon A.C. Missias’s normative definition of haiku. The paper neatly managed to weave in themes from the morning sessions. As a matter of fact, all sessions managed to complement each other with one raising an issue in one context, only to be fleshed out in another.
After another coffee break, Jeanne Emrich from Minneapolis presented a haiga workshop. It opened with an excellent slide show illustrating the wide range of graphic art that is being generated to accompany a haiku, from photo-montage to collage to sumi-e painting. Then, with a wide range of materials available, wet stuff and dry stuff, people dug in and produced some remarkable haiga.
Afterwards was rest time, with some of us choosing to do it at the pub. Later we assembled for a cash-bar in our conference area, followed by a catered buffet banquet. At one point Charlie introduced our"mystery speaker," Alan Watts, speaking on haiku and Zen in a 1964 radio recording. Forty years later his words are still right-on.

About eight survivors gathered for breakfast at the hotel on Sunday morning and walked the half-mile to the Lake Michigan shore.

Thanks to all the participants for their great haiku, generous contributions, and carefree purchases of haiku books. Special thanks to Bev Bloom who donated her many good ideas and much time to serve as registrar, and Scott Glander, who always seemed to be at the right spot when something needed to be set up or moved.

Joe Kirschner

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Second Quarterly Meeting 2003: Friday, June 27 New York, NY

Minutes from the HSA Executive Committee Meeting

The meeting was convened at 12:45 pm by Stanford Forrester, President. Committee members present: Pamela Miller Ness, Tom Painting, Karen Klein, Tom Borkowski, Jim Kacian, Dave Russo, Michael Dylan Welch. Bill Higginson from the Nominating Committee was also present during section IX.

I. The Secretary announced that the Amendment to the By-Laws passed with 153 Yea, 1 Nay, 1 Abstain. Amendment 5. Article III, Section 4 is amended as follows: The President fills Executive Committee vacancies between annual elections with the consent of a simple majority of the Executive Committee.

II. The President put forth the following appointments: Tom Painting from Acting 2nd Vice President to 2nd Vice President. Dave Russo seconded; the EC consented. Pamela Miller Ness from Acting Newsletter Editor to Newsletter Editor. Jim Kacian seconded; the EC consented. The Secretary moved to accept Pamela Miller Ness’ resignation as 1st Vice President. Jim Kacian seconded. The motion carried. Michael Dylan Welch from Acting 1st Vice President to 1st Vice President. Pamela Miller Ness seconded; the EC consented.

III. The Executive Committee considered all the submissions for the logo anonymously and arrived at 2 finalists whose logos appear on a ballot in this newsletter for the membership to vote on

IV. In a discussion of the budget, the Executive Committee agreed on the need for a formalized budget. Michael Dylan Welch moved that the President and Treasurer with other members of the EC create an annual budget. Pamela Miller Ness seconded; the motion carried.

V. Tom Borkowski presented the Treasurer’s Report for March 1 through June 26, 2003. Total Credits: $30, 402.99; Total Debits: $12, 053.74; Balance: $18, 349.25. The EC accepted the Treasurer’s Report.

VI. The Secretary presented the results of the Membership Dues Survey.
Option 1: Keep dues at current levels/reduce services 31
Option 2: Raise dues moderately/keep current services 94
Option 3: Raise dues more/ increase services 18
Other: 12

VII. Jim Kacian moved to raise dues to $33. per year for standard membership; $35. for Canada and Mexico; $45. for all other areas. Tom Painting seconded; the motion carried.

VIII. Karen Klein moved to offer a $30 membership for seniors and
full-time students in North America. Dave Russo seconded; the motion carried.

IX. The shikishi, a gift to the HSA from the Museum of Haiku Literature, were displayed at the HNA conference. Bill Higginson gave the EC information about the background, history, and value of the shikishi. Michael Dylan Welch moved to take the responsibility for the physical custody of the shikishi from Karen Klein and entrust Garry Gay with the shikishi after HNA to take to California, to photo and digitize and deliver copies to the Executive Committee, and to deliver the shikishi to the American Haiku Archives at the California State University with $200. budgeted to cover costs as needed. Dave Russo seconded; the motion carried.

Dave Russo moved to adjourn. Tom Borkowski seconded; the motion carried. The meeting was formally adjourned at 4:15.

Respectfully submitted,

Karen Klein, HSA Secretary

First Quarterly Meeting 2003: Saturday, March 1, Wilmington, DE

The Delaware River Haiku Group hosts the first HSA Quarterly Meeting, March 1, 2003, at the Delaware History Center, 504 Market Street, in Wilmington—a city half way between New York City and Washington, D.C. on AMTRAK and less than a two hour drive from most locations in eastern Maryland, eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Note: Dates, times and locations are subject to change. Please verify your travel plans with the coordinator for this quarterly meeting.

Contact: Dick Williams, Secretary, DRHG: rdwms@udel.edu

Program

10:30 a.m. (all members)

Visit to the First USA Riverfront Arts Center and/or a Ginko.HSA members arriving by train, who wish to visit the Center, may take a mile Ginko on the Christiana River Walk or board the "CityCircuit" loop bus to the Arts Center. There is adequate parking at the Arts Center (and nearby Shipyard Shops) for people who plan to drive to the meeting.

The Arts Center has on display a collection of 250 items and interactive displays from the Delaware Art Museum while the latter institution undergoes a major reconstruction. D.A.M. is known internationally for its collections of paintings by Howard Pyle, N. C. Wyeth and other Brandywine River artists as well as for its large Pre-Raphaelite collection. Admission: $7:00; seniors, $5.00.

10:30 a.m. (Executive Committee)

Executive Committee meeting at the Delaware History Center, just 7 blocks from the Amtrak Station. All day street parking is permitted on Saturdays.

Noon to 1:15 p.m.

Lunch at Riverfront and downtown restaurants. For attendees getting to the Delaware History Center early the Historical Society of Delaware invites you to view its museum exhibits. Also visit the meeting's haiku books sale in the meeting room on the second floor.

1:30 to 2:00 p.m.

Introductory round of haiku and general members' meeting,

2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Stanford M. Forrester, "A Bowl of Rice: An Introduction to the Haiku of Taneda Santoka."

Stanford will talk about the free form haiku of Taneda Santoka (1882-1940)-reputed to be Japan's last wandering poet. He will also explore and examine the various elements and techniques of the poet's work that have contributed much to modern haiku.

3:00 to 3:30 p.m.

John Stevenson, "A few Well Chosen Words: Connecting Haiku to Playback Theater."

John practices a form of theater known as Playback. This theater has some similarities to haiku. One involves expressing the essence of a moment with a few telling details. John will ask everyone to participate in a Playback rehearsal exercise to focus on essential images. No acting experience is needed to join in the fun.

3:30 to 4:00 p.m.

Break to review books for sale and have light refreshments.

4:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Jim Kacian, "Rhythm, Jazz and Haiku Performance."

Jim plans to address the reasons why haiku poetry is hardest genre to "perform." He will offer some ideas that may improve our reading of haiku. These ideas are based on recent research into how we "hear" haiku and how we use the sound as well as the silence to give our haiku their meanings.

6:00 p.m.

Supper at the Wyndham Hotel, 700 King Street (three blocks from the Delaware History Center and seven blocks from the AMTRAK Station). R.V.S.P., for dinner reservations to

Dick Williams, Secretary, DRHG: rdwms@udel.edu

FAX: 302-654-6262

Telephone: 302-654-0986.

Notes

The Delaware River Haiku Group encourages HSA members to extend their visit to the Brandywine Valley by coming Friday and/or staying over until Sunday to explore Winterthur, Hagley and Brandywine River Museums or Longwood Gardens, to enjoy distinguished restaurants, to go to a show at one of the city's four theaters (three within walking distance of the Wyndham Hotel) and to try some tax free shopping. The Wyndham Hotel is holding a block of rooms at the convention rate of $69.00 per night and has shuttle service to area attractions for attendees without cars. For telephone reservations call 1-800-996-3426 as soon as possible and mention that you are an HSA member.

An up-to-date, 24-panel (4x8.5 inch) guide to dining, shopping and sightseeing in the greater Wilmington area is available to everyone planning to come to the First Quarterly meeting. The detailed maps of Wilmington and environs make the guide invaluable for anyone who drives to the meeting. To get the guide, send a stamped self-addressed #10 envelope to Dick Williams, 202 Brecks Lane, Wilmington, DE 19807.

Williams will also be emailing meeting information updates to the HSA web page, such as program notes for Forrester, Stevenson and Kacian presentations, haiku presses planning to send books for sale, restaurants open on Saturday, arrival and departure train times at the AMTRAK Wilmington station from-and-to New York and Washington, D.C. and what shows are billed for February 28 or March 1 at the Hotel du Pont Playhouse Theater, Grand Opera House, Delaware Theater Company and the Best of Broadway Dinner Theater.

Those HSA members, who plan to come to the meeting and who can not access the web page, may request to have included with the guide: a hardcopy of the long version program and a summary of email notices.

Directions for Walking to Lunch . . .

. . . on Saturday in downtown Wilmington and the Riverfront.

1. A block from the Delaware History Center at 5th and Shipley is the 4 W's Café for light lunch.

2. From 6th to 8th Streets on Market Street there is an assortment of sandwich shops, pizzerias and one Chinese take-out and luncheon shop.

3. At 8th and Market is Govatos, chocolate shop since 1984, with sit-down lunch service.

4. The Terra Nova Restaurant in the Wyndham Hotel is at 7th and King .

At the Riverfront

1. Attendees arriving by AMTRAK near lunchtime are about two blocks along the Christina River Walk from the Riverfront Market, which has a variety of luncheon choices, and--from there--six blocks from the Delaware History Center.

2. Attendees going to the Riverfront Arts Center are two long blocks from Mollies Ice Cream Shop (soup and sandwiches, too) and Timothy's (a full menu restaurant) both facing the Christina River.

3.There is a snack bar in the Arts Center lobby.

Saturday Trains at Wilmington

Arrivals from Washington, D.C.: 7:53A, 8:58A (reserved), 9:53A, 10:15A (reserved), 10:53A, 11:53A, 12:15P (reserved) 12:53P.

Departures to Washington, D.C.: 4:44P (reserved), 5:52P, 6:30P (reserved), 6:52P (reserved), 7:52P, 8:34P, 9:47P, 10:37P

Arrivals from New York City: 8:35A, 9:02A (reserved), 9:30A(reserved), 9:52A, 10:52A (reserved), 11:30A (reserved), 11:52A, 12:52P, 1:30P (reserved), 1:52P

Departures to New York City: 5:33P (reserved), 6:15P, 6:53P (reserved), 7:53P (reserved), 8:53P (reserved), 11:02P.

Your Attention Please! If You Arrive at Amtrak Station . . .

. . . Consider the Wilmington Trolley, Route 32, which on Saturday picks up passengers on Front Street at 19 and 49 minutes past the hour. Full circuit fare, 25 cents.

1. To the Delaware Art Museum at the Riverfront Arts Center, stay on the Trolley for 20 minutes. If you miss the Trolley at the station on Front Street and do not want to wait, it's about a five minute cab ride to the Arts Center.

2. From the Riverfront Arts Center to the Delaware History Center, take the Trolley in the front of the Arts Center at 14 and 44 minutes past the hour and:
a. Get off at 5th & Walnut Streets (the second stop) and walk three blocks up the hill on 5th Street to Market. OR . . .
b. Stay on the Trolley 8th & Shipley (the third stop) and walk back to Market Street and two blocks to 6th Street.

3. To the Delaware History Center (seven blocks). If you do not want to wait for the Trolley or walk, it is less than five minutes by taxi. If you do take the Trolley:
a. Get off at 5th & Walnut Streets (the first stop) and walk three blocks up the hill on 5th Street to Market. OR . . .
b. Stay on the Trolley 8th & Shipley (the second stop) and walk back to Market Street and two blocks to 6th Street.

NOTE: Trolley schedule and diagrams may be found at: www.dartfirststate.com/32/

Shows at Wilmington Theaters . . .

. . . on February 28 and March 1, 2003

The Grand Opera House, 818 Market Street "Complete Works of Shakespeare"

Playhouse Theater, 11th Street at Market "The Presidents" with Rich Little

Best of Broadway Dinner Theatre, First USA Riverfront Arts Center "Gershwin by George"

Delaware Theater Company, 200 Water Street [Next show March 9th]

Book and Periodical Sale

The Delaware River Haiku Group's Book Sales Manager, William Dennis, invited 14 U.S. haiku presses and 12 periodicals to a book sale on the occasion of the Haiku Society of America's first quarterly meeting of 2003. As of January 23, 8 presses and 6 periodicals agreed to participate. They are:

Presses

A Small Garlic Press, Marek W. Lugowski, Editor
Cheng & Tsui Company Katsura Press, Margaret Chula, Editor
Redfox Press, Andrea C. Missias, Editor
Red Moon Press, Jim Kacian, Editor
Timberline Press, Clarence Wolfshohl, Publisher
Vandina Press, Francine Porad, Editor
Yukei Teikei Haiku Society, Patricia Machmiller & June Hymas, Editors

Periodicals

Acorn, Andrea C. Missias, Editor
bottle rockets, Stanford M. Forrester, Editor
frogpond, Jim Kacian, Editor
Modern Haiku, Lee Gurga, Editor
South by Southeast, Stephen Addiss et al, Editors
Word Dance, Stuart Ungar, Editor

Note: Traditionally at HSA meetings, individuals are welcome to sell personal haiku materials. Because of the volume of materials on the book sale tables, we ask such personal items be brought to the attention of Bill Dennis, Book Sales Manager, and thus become part of the regular sales operation.

2002

4th Quarter | 3rd Quarter | 2nd Quarter | 1st Quarter

Fourth Quarterly Meeting 2002: Saturday, December 7, Seattle, WA

Note: Dates, times and locations are subject to change. Please verify your travel plans with the coordinator for this quarterly meeting.

Contact: Ruth Yarrow, (206) 722-1669 or ruthyarrow@wpsr.org

Friday Dec. 6

Casual dinner - please call if you would like to join someone for dinner.

7:30 p.m. - Haiku reading, 40 Lake Bellevue Drive, Suite 100, Bellevue. It's at the corner of Bel-Red Road and 120th Ave. NE in Bellevue. For more details see next paragraph.

Bring some of your haiku to read aloud to a public gathering. The number of people reading will determine the number of haiku to be read by each person. To view a detailed map showing where the haiku reading will be, click on this link:

40 Lake Bellevue Drive, Bellvue, WA

Here are detailed written directions from downtown Seattle:

1. Take I-90 E. toward BELLEVUE/SPOKANE.

2. Merge onto I-405 N via exit number 10A toward BOTHELL/EVERETT. 2.78 miles

3. Take the N.E. 8TH ST. exit- exit number 13B. 0.11 miles

4. Keep RIGHT at the fork in the ramp. 0.29 miles

5.Merge onto NE 8TH ST. 0.14 miles

6. Turn LEFT onto 118TH AVE NE. 0.12 miles

7. Turn RIGHT onto LAKE BELLEVUE DR. 0.09 miles

(Directions thanks to Kathleen Decker).

Saturday Dec. 7

10:00 a.m. - Haiku walk, Kubota Gardens, corner of Renton Ave. and 55th Ave. South in South Seattle. Please dress for the weather, and bring something on which you can write haiku while you're walking!

Noon - No host lunch, Cityside Doubletree Hotel Restaurant, Bellevue Center, 818 112th Ave. NE (112th and NE 8th), or Cheesecake Factory, 401 Bellevue Way, (next to Borders Books)

1:30 p.m. - HSA Meeting at Bellevue Library, 1111 110th Ave. NE, Bellevue

5:30 p.m. - No host dinner at the Jasmine Restaurant, 10713 Main St., Bellevue

If you need housing: Try the Doubletree Hotel, Bellevue Center, 425-455-1515. Mention that you are attending the Haiku Society of America Meeting. Billing code LDTSVP for special price of $79.00 per day.

What to Bring

Fifty (50) handwritten copies of one of your haiku on paper (or something similar), 3 1/2" x 6 3/4" or less. We'll compile them and everyone will receive a box full. Haiku to share aloud at the reading and the meeting. Any of your publications you would like to sell or share - we'll have a book table. Warm and waterproof clothing for the walk in Kubota Gardens.

Questions?

Contact: Ruth Yarrow, (206) 722-1669 or ruthyarrow@wpsr.org

[Top]

Third Quarterly Meeting (National Meeting) 2002: September 13-15, New Orleans, LA

The New Orleans Haiku Society and Xavier University invite you to come down to the "City That Care Forgot" for haiku, discussion, revelation, exploration, great food, and fabulous music.

Featuring: Randy Brooks ("Living the Tradition: Haiku in Higher Education"), Mark Brooks ("Humor and Haiku"), and Jim Kacian; a book launching by Peggy Lyles; a special tribute, in memoriam, to Bob Spiess; a haiku walk through the French Quarter . . . and other surprises.

Hotel: The Quality Inn Midtown, 3900 Tulane Avenue, is offering a conference rate of $59.00. Just say the initials, "HSA," when you book: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., 800-228-5151; weekends and after-hours, dial direct: 504-486-5541. The hotel is five minutes' walking distance from the conference site, Xavier University, and offers a courtesy shuttle to and from the French Quarter and downtown New Orleans. Come "pass a good time" New Orleans style! For more information, contact David Lanoue at dlanoue@xula.edu or the New Orleans Haiku Society at neworleanshaiku@yahoo.com.

[Top]

Second Quarterly Meeting 2002: Saturday, June 15, New York, NY

The Haiku Society of America held its Second Quarterly Meeting on Saturday, June 15, 2002 at the 96th Street Branch of the New York Public Library, located at 112 East 96th Street (south side), between Lexington and Park Avenues.

The library can be reached by the #6 (green line) of the subway, by the M96 and M106 crosstown buses, and by the M101, M102, and M103 buses along Lexington and Third Avenues.

Program Highlights

10:00 -- Ginko at Central Park's Conservatory Garden, led by Doris Heitmeyer, assisted by Miriam Borne. Meet at the Vanderbilt Gate, 104th Street and 5th Avenue. #6 (green line) subway, or Madison Avenue buses to 103rd Street, walk west to 5th Avenue.

11:30 -- Lunch at local restaurants (for your convenience Doris Heitmeyer will provide suggestions).

1:00 - Introductions, sharing of haiku 1:15 - Welcoming remarks, HSA business -- Jerry Ball, President

1:30 - Writing Haiku and Longer Poems: The Influence of Jazz -- Lenard D. Moore

2:15 - Break for refreshments and book display

2:45 - The Lyric, the Dramatic, and the Narrative in Haiku - Jerry Ball

3:45 - Yatsuka Ishihara's Teachings: A Workshop in the Use of Hyperbole in Haiku - Patrick Gallagher

5:30 - Family Style Dinner at Sala Thai. ($28 - RSVP by June 8 )

-- Brenda J. Gannam NE Metro Regional Coordinator gannamconsulting@earthlink.net (718) 522-6946

First Quarterly Meeting 2002: Saturday, March 23, Boston, MA

Discussion of the Executive Committee at the Boston Quarterly Meeting

1. The first discussion concerned a fitting tribute to Bob Spiess. It was determined that we would write a tribute in Frogpond for the Bob who has devoted so much of his life to the cause of haiku.

2. We then dealt with the impending changes in leadership on the executive committee: Frogpond Editor: Jim Kacian agreed to remain as Editor with some assistance. John Stevenson agreed to become Associate Editor. Newsletter Editor: with the resignation of Charlie Trumbull we needed to find a replacement. Stanford Forrester and Jerry Ball were assigned the job of locating a competent replacement. (Since the meeting we have a commitment from Mark Brooks who has both initiative and skills necessary for the job.) Treasurer: With John Stevenson leaving the treasurer's position, this induced a vacancy. He was replaced by Tom Borkowski as Acting Treasurer.

3. The executive committee voted a commendation for the work done by Charlie Trumbull, Newsletter Editor; Dave Russo, Electronic Communications Officer; Jim Kacian, Frogpond Editor

4. The EC then discussed the future of the HSA and whether we should think of maintaining the present sort of organization or whether we might consider expanding. This issue was brought to the membership for discussion. The issues include what sorts of services we provide for members and at what economic cost. No conclusion was reached but this discussion will be continued.

5. The EC voted to be supportive to the coming Haiku North America and to Haiku Pacific Rim.

—Jerry Ball, HSA President

2001

4th Quarter | 3rd Quarter | 2nd Quarter | 1st Quarter

Fourth Quarterly Meeting: November 30 through December 2, 2001, Long Beach, CA

One Haijin's Report, by naia

Attendees: Roger Abe, Fay Aoyagi, Jerry Ball, Sandy Ball, Tom Bilicke, Karen Brooks, Mark Brooks, Bridget Dole, Janeth Ewald, Alice Frampton, Claire Gallagher, Victor Gendrano, Greg Kunz (gK), David Lanoue, Leila, Patricia Machmiller, naia, David Priebe, Margaret Hehman Smith (Peggy), Michael Dylan Welch, Jean Ellen Wilder, Wendy Wright

For photos from the three-day event please visit:

http://photos.yahoo.com/naia01

Once there, click on the Dec 1 2001 folder link, then select "slideshow" to automatically view each slide, or click on each individual slide to see a larger version.

I arrived at the Seaport Marina about noon, expecting to locate a few haijin who had indicated their early arrival on Friday. Just as I was checking in Alice Frampton (British Columbia, Canada) walked through the doors, followed shortly by David Lanoue (New Orleans, LA). We shared lunch, travel stories, and company, then returned to the hotel where we found Mark and Karen Brooks (Temple, TX).

Others continued to roll in that afternoon, and we had a lovely crowd of about 12 or so for dinner at a local crab and seafood restaurant. Those of us who are vegetarians ( Fay Aoyagi and me) found a few tidbits for us on the menu while others dined on such fare as seafood salad and fresh steamed seafood dumped out onto the table for finger-eatin'.

Saturday morning a few of us gathered in the hotel restaurant for breakfast, then we all congregated in the meeting room and set up the book tables, sign in pads, programs, etc.

HSA President Jerry Ball performed the "opening remarks" segment, followed by Mark Brooks' presentation titled "The Poetics of Kigo." Mark talked about what kigo are, the benefits of and objections to using kigo, and treating kigo as a language. He stated that "while English-language haiku poets debate whether or not to use kigo, the language of haiku, Japanese haiku poets are busy expanding that language to incorporate Western references without much help from us."

Mark said the kigo system is "simply a record of associations"—a record of usage, rather than a limitation. He continued, "Artificiality comes into play only when an author 'creates' haiku from a list of kigo rather than from actual experience." We had lively and in-depth dialogue after his presentation—all constructive and meaningful. If you would like to contact Mark Brooks for more information about his presentation "Poetics of Kigo" you may email him at haiku@epiphanous.org.

We had a lunch feast at a local Indian restaurant, followed by Patricia Machmiller's presentation "Haiku Etudes: an Unveiling of the Haiku Form Through Art." She spoke on haiku in art (the art reflecting the haiku, without stating the haiku - as opposed to haiga). Patricia shared her artwork, first by stating a haiku, discussing it, then showing the painting she'd created and explaining the elements, including the layout of the haiku lines and then how that layout was displayed in the painting. She called them "renderings of haiku" - trying to be true to the haiku by putting it into a visual (nonverbal) form - a translation of an original haiku into an artform. It was fascinating, as was the discussion which followed. If you would like to contact Patricia Machmiller for more information about her presentation "Haiku Etudes: an Unveiling of the Haiku Form Through Art" you may email her at patriciajmachmiller@msn.com.

David Lanoue was the final presenter with "Rediscovering Issa." We all delighted in his knowledge and reading of Issa's haiku. A few examples (haiku by Issa, translations by David Lanoue):

nadeshiko ga o^kina hachi ni sasare keri

a blooming pink—
the big bee
gets stuck

sokkuri to kawazu [no] norishi hito ha kana

falling down
frog and all . . .
one big leaf

The discussion and sharing that followed was stimulating and rewarding. If you would like to contact David Lanoue for more information about his presentation "Rediscovering Issa" you may email him at dlanoue@xula.edu or visit his website at:

http://webusers.xula.edu/dlanoue/issa/

After a quick dinner at some local stop-and-eat places, we proceeded to Borders bookstore, where our evening reading was scheduled. The evening reading was delightful!!!!! Our featured readers were Jerry Ball, Michael Dylan Welch, Mark Brooks Patricia Machmiller, and David Lanoue—followed by an "open mike" session for which we'd signed up earlier in the day. Readers shared their haiku, haibun, tanka, and cinquain. When the public reading concluded we all went to Wendy and Tom Wright's home where we shared wine, sumptuous foods and desserts, and discussed everything from the weather to haiku issues to you-name-it. The social event broke about midnight.

Sunday morning about twelve of us participated in a ginko at the local Farmer's Market and boat harbor across from the hotel—then we returned and shared what we wrote in a round robin reading. Some left after that but about 8 of us went on to Japanese Gardens on the CSU Long Beach campus, then shared lunch before departing. The gardens were lovely, and we had a great time sharing. The entire event was wonderful in every way and included presentations, discussion, debates, fine food and drink, laughter, hugs, and memory-making camaraderie.

[Top]

Third Quarterly Meeting (National Meeting): September 22, 2001, New York, NY

The Haiku Society of America's third quarterly meeting, which was to be held in New York City on September 22, 2001, was canceled due to problems arising from the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

[Top]

Second Quarterly Meeting: June 28, 2001, Boston, MA

Executive Committee Meeting

The HSA Executive Committee meeting for the second quarter of 2001 was held in Boston, Mass., on June 28, 2001, in conjunction with Haiku North America. The EC meeting was convened at 9:00 a.m. by Pamela Miller Ness in the absence of President Jerry Ball. EC members present were Raffael de Gruttola, Jim Kacian, Howard Lee Kilby, Dave Russo, and Charles Trumbull.

Secretary's Report: Howard reported that membership has stabilized at 775 members, including 101 international members. The EC discussed the fact that, unlike national members, the international members are not represented in regional groups and that perhaps this should be considered. As a way to reduce expenses and labor, we discussed changing the current system of Howard's sending a dues-reminder card to highlighting the labels of those members who need to renew. Howard discussed the extensive amount of time required for the Secretary's duties, and the EC discussed options for helping with this task.

Treasurer's Report: The EC decided to maintain the current dues structure for 2002. We spent a significant amount of time discussing the need to raise funds and considering options: running a query in the HSA Newsletter for a volunteer fund raiser and/or hiring a professional who would receive a percentage of the funds s/he raised. Raffael indicated that this will be his final year to serve as Treasurer, but he will work closely with his replacement to ensure a smooth transition.

Frogpond: Jim discussed his search for an associate editor to work with him during 2002 and ultimately take over as editor of Frogpond. To date he has spoken with numerous members but has not found an associate editor. We considered the issue of the expense of publishing a biannual supplement to Frogpond. Some suggestions included: publish one larger issue that includes the critical articles, include more critical articles within the three yearly issues, or publish an annual critical anthology with a juried editorial board to which members could subscribe for an additional fee. Jim also said that he would like to publish a volume entitled "Best of Frogpond" to celebrate the 25th year of publication. This would be offered for sale, like A Haiku Path. Taking a vote, the EC approved the publication of a Frogpond supplement in 2001.

Nominating Committee: The EC nominated two persons to serve as the Nominating Committee for next year's HSA officers. Both, however, declined, and later Bill Lerz of Hot Springs, Ark., accepted the job.

Sora Award: The EC voted to institute the Sora Award, an award proposed by Jerry Kilbride to honor an HSA member who has made an outstanding contribution to the organization over time. The award will consist of a certificate and a small gift. The first award will be presented at the HSA meeting in New York City in September. The EC agreed that a maximum of one award per year will be presented, with an option to not to make an award in a given year.

Logo Committee: Raffael will continue to work with the Logo Committee to design an appropriate logo for the HSA that we can use on stationery and the HSA brochure, which will be reprinted after the logo is determined.

HSA Education Committee: Pamela reported that 40 teachers' packets have been sold since January 1, 2001. The Japan Society in New York currently uses the packet for all their teacher workshops, and we have had requests from two other national educational organizations to preview the packet for possible use. A 4th edition will be printed in the fall.

The Executive Committee meeting was adjourned at 11:15 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Pamela Miller Ness,
First Vice President

First Quarterly Meeting: March 17, 2001, Las Cruces, NM

Executive Committee Meeting

The meeting was scheduled for 12:00-1:30 p.m., Saturday, March 17, at the International Delight Restaurant, Las Cruces, N.M. Since President Jerry Ball and First Vice President Pamela Ness were the only Executive Committee members present, Ball declared no quorum present, no business was conducted, and the meeting was adjourned.

General Meeting

HSA Southwest Region members were delighted to have President Ball and First Vice President Ness join us in our first HSA Southwestern Region get-together. Tom Lynch started planning the event in September 2000 to coincide with the annual Border Book Festival held in Las Cruces. Some activities of our gathering overlapped with events of the Border Book Festival, but it broadened our exposure to many unfamiliar with the HSA and haiku in general. The success of this endeavor was made possible by the dedication and hard work of Tom Lynch, for which we all are grateful.

William J. Higginson and Penny Harter from Santa Fe, N.M., arrived early and gave a workshop on Friday, March 16, at the Good Samaritan Village library. "A Way With Words" was the subject. Bill and Penny took turns reading poetry and haiku from their books and discussed writing with 14 seniors. A workshop on a Southwestern saijiki was held at the historic Double Eagle restaurant on the Old Mesilla plaza on Friday evening from 6:00 to 9:00. Thirteen members attended. Before the meal we introduced ourselves; for many this was a first-time meeting. After dinner, Tom Lynch opened the workshop. The Southwest Region has a very rich Spanish heritage, so most of the kigo selected had a Hispanic flavor. Each members were asked to suggest a kigo representative of the Southwest and read a haiku using it. These efforts were collected and discussed with an eye to a Southwestern saijiki. Here are a few:

night irrigation
the ditch slowly fills
with stars
-- Dennis Dutton

sunshine yucca
white blossoms scent empty air
mustang runs free
--Jim Applegate

pueblo dog
sniffing the footprints
of tourists
-- Penny Harter

heavy air
I awaken from a nap
expecting thunder
-- Jerry Ball

I come to town
early in the morning
roasting chilies
-- Bill Higginson

roadside stall
the ristras clatter
behind the farmer
-- Tom Lynch

one by one
faralitos flicker out --
Christmas Eve
-- Marian Olson

siesta
even the air
not moving
-- Naomi Y. Brown

On Saturday at 9:00 a.m. Marian Olson gave a haiku-writing workshop "The Tiniest Poem," at the Munson Senior Center. She worked with 22 professional and nonprofessional writers, most of whom had never before penned a haiku. First, she distributed printed instructions, examples, pencils and writing pads. Marian used "Ancestral Voices," the Border Book Festival theme this year, to present a chronology of haiku voices from the 17th century to the end of the 20th century. After the group discussed the depth and nuances in several poems, Marian talked about the general characteristics found in most fine haiku. Following this initial work with model poems, she led the participants through an exercise that used a particular emotion attached to an experience from their lives and from that into the writing of their own haiku. Feedback indicated the success of the method. Those new to the form left with a clear idea of the power of haiku. Marian's technique led to some excellent work, which was published in a finely printed booklet and mailed to each participant. Among the many fresh voices were these (picked randomly):

Leaving Paris
   the midnight train
       enters a tunnel
-- Laura Lomas

Back in the city
Lights shine
Stars dim
-- Carol Brey

practicing in the park
our swords
know each other also
-- Dennis H. Dutton

During this same time period, William J. Higginson and Penny Harter were conducting separate workshops. Bill's topic was "Remembering Our Ancestors," and he helped more than a dozen participants learn methods of recovering lost information about past events. Later in a public reading, Bill read poems about his grandmother's life as well as haiku and translations from recent books.

Penny led a workshop, "Reaching Back: A Letter to the Unknown," in which she encouraged some 15 participants to connect with ancestors they know little or nothing about. Later she read poems from her books Grandmother's Milk and Lizard Light: Poems from the Earth. From 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. about 25 participants enjoyed herbal tea and leisurely paced haiku readings the Haiku Tardeada (tardeada is Spanish for afternoon tea) at the Lemongrass Restaurant. Earlier Tom Lynch had instructed us to bring a handful of "ancestral voice haiku" as well as 5-10 of our own verses to read. Tom opened the readings, followed by Jerry Ball, Dennis Dutton, Noor Singh Khalsa, Marian Olson, Marlene Egger, Jim Applegate, Bill Higginson and Penny Harter. Then Pamela Ness read some of her tanka. After reading "ancestral voice haiku" and some of her haiku, Naomi Y. Brown recited Kakinamoto Hitomara's chôka from the Man'yôshu in Japanese and then Bill Higginson read its translation by Donald Keene. All together 11 haiku poets participated in this event.

On Saturday evening several members got together at the Tatsu Japanese Restaurant. Over hot sake and Japanese cuisine they relaxed and visited until it was closing time.

The final get-together was a ginkô Sunday morning. at the Dripping Spring Natural Area in the Organ Mountains east of Las Cruces. Mark Brooks, Pamela Ness, Marian Olson, and Gloria Cano had departed early so 11 took part in the ginko: Jerry Ball (who left early to catch his flight), Tom Lynch, Dennis Dutton, Noor Khalsa, Penny Harter, Bill Higginson, Jim and Beth Ann Applegate, Marlene Egger, and Clayton and Naomi Brown. We were blessed with a gentle breeze and a warm sun. We chose the four-mile trail to La Cueva, the hermit's cave. It was a gentle climb at start but became a bit steeper near the cave. Along the path, we identified prickly pear, desert sage, greasewood, banana yucca, and Mormon tea. Some of the smooth rocks had a slippery moss-like growth, probably lichen. At La Cueva Tom pointed out petroglyphs near the entrance. The cave was dry and roomy. Returning to the trailhead, we gathered around the picnic table, ate our sack lunches, and concentrated on writing haiku. Each took turns reading two or three haiku (Penny wrote eight!). Here are some of the group's creations:

my shadow
on the tiny white primroses
a stinkbug moves
--Bill Higginson

desert catch basin
the iridescent flash
of Phainopepla
--Marlene Egger

Spring ginko
Noor takes a nap
on a hackberry branch
--Dennis Dutton

two ravens spiral
above the hermit's cave --
their fading call
-- Penny Harter

hermit's cave
abandoned now
except for the wasps
-- Tom Lynch

La Cueva Trail
the hikers' footsteps
break the silence
-- Naomi Y. Brown

By 2:00 p.m., we were back at the parking lot but reluctant to leave. We all took with us memories of the beautiful Organ Mountains and the ginkô.

-- Naomi Y. Brown,
Southwest Region Coordinator

2002

4th Quarter | 3rd Quarter | 2nd Quarter | 1st Quarter

Fourth Quarterly Meeting 2002: Saturday, December 7, Seattle, WA

Details to be provided closer to the event.

[Top]

Third Quarterly Meeting (National Meeting) 2002: September 13-15, New Orleans, LA

The New Orleans Haiku Society and Xavier University invite you to come down to the "City That Care Forgot" for haiku, discussion, revelation, exploration, great food, and fabulous music.

Featuring: Randy Brooks ("Living the Tradition: Haiku in Higher Education"), Mark Brooks ("Humor and Haiku"), and Jim Kacian; a book launching by Peggy Lyles; a special tribute, in memoriam, to Bob Spiess; a haiku walk through the French Quarter . . . and other surprises.

Hotel: The Quality Inn Midtown, 3900 Tulane Avenue, is offering a conference rate of $59.00. Just say the initials, "HSA," when you book: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., 800-228-5151; weekends and after-hours, dial direct: 504-486-5541. The hotel is five minutes' walking distance from the conference site, Xavier University, and offers a courtesy shuttle to and from the French Quarter and downtown New Orleans. Come "pass a good time" New Orleans style! For more information, contact David Lanoue at dlanoue@xula.edu or the New Orleans Haiku Society at neworleanshaiku@yahoo.com.

[Top]

Second Quarterly Meeting 2002: Saturday, June 15, New York, NY

The Haiku Society of America held its Second Quarterly Meeting on Saturday, June 15, 2002 at the 96th Street Branch of the New York Public Library, located at 112 East 96th Street (south side), between Lexington and Park Avenues.

The library can be reached by the #6 (green line) of the subway, by the M96 and M106 crosstown buses, and by the M101, M102, and M103 buses along Lexington and Third Avenues.

Program Highlights

10:00 -- Ginko at Central Park's Conservatory Garden, led by Doris Heitmeyer, assisted by Miriam Borne. Meet at the Vanderbilt Gate, 104th Street and 5th Avenue. #6 (green line) subway, or Madison Avenue buses to 103rd Street, walk west to 5th Avenue.

11:30 -- Lunch at local restaurants (for your convenience Doris Heitmeyer will provide suggestions).

1:00 - Introductions, sharing of haiku 1:15 - Welcoming remarks, HSA business -- Jerry Ball, President

1:30 - Writing Haiku and Longer Poems: The Influence of Jazz -- Lenard D. Moore

2:15 - Break for refreshments and book display

2:45 - The Lyric, the Dramatic, and the Narrative in Haiku - Jerry Ball

3:45 - Yatsuka Ishihara's Teachings: A Workshop in the Use of Hyperbole in Haiku - Patrick Gallagher

5:30 - Family Style Dinner at Sala Thai. ($28 - RSVP by June 8 )

-- Brenda J. Gannam NE Metro Regional Coordinator gannamconsulting@earthlink.net (718) 522-6946

First Quarterly Meeting 2002: Saturday, March 23, Boston, MA

Discussion of the Executive Committee at the Boston Quarterly Meeting

1. The first discussion concerned a fitting tribute to Bob Spiess. It was determined that we would write a tribute in Frogpond for the Bob who has devoted so much of his life to the cause of haiku.

2. We then dealt with the impending changes in leadership on the executive committee: Frogpond Editor: Jim Kacian agreed to remain as Editor with some assistance. John Stevenson agreed to become Associate Editor. Newsletter Editor: with the resignation of Charlie Trumbull we needed to find a replacement. Stanford Forrester and Jerry Ball were assigned the job of locating a competent replacement. (Since the meeting we have a commitment from Mark Brooks who has both initiative and skills necessary for the job.) Treasurer: With John Stevenson leaving the treasurer's position, this induced a vacancy. He was replaced by Tom Borkowski as Acting Treasurer.

3. The executive committee voted a commendation for the work done by Charlie Trumbull, Newsletter Editor; Dave Russo, Electronic Communications Officer; Jim Kacian, Frogpond Editor

4. The EC then discussed the future of the HSA and whether we should think of maintaining the present sort of organization or whether we might consider expanding. This issue was brought to the membership for discussion. The issues include what sorts of services we provide for members and at what economic cost. No conclusion was reached but this discussion will be continued.

5. The EC voted to be supportive to the coming Haiku North America and to Haiku Pacific Rim.

—Jerry Ball, HSA President

2001

4th Quarter | 3rd Quarter | 2nd Quarter | 1st Quarter

Fourth Quarterly Meeting: November 30 through December 2, 2001, Long Beach, CA

One Haijin's Report, by naia

Attendees: Roger Abe, Fay Aoyagi, Jerry Ball, Sandy Ball, Tom Bilicke, Karen Brooks, Mark Brooks, Bridget Dole, Janeth Ewald, Alice Frampton, Claire Gallagher, Victor Gendrano, Greg Kunz (gK), David Lanoue, Leila, Patricia Machmiller, naia, David Priebe, Margaret Hehman Smith (Peggy), Michael Dylan Welch, Jean Ellen Wilder, Wendy Wright

For photos from the three-day event please visit:

http://photos.yahoo.com/naia01

Once there, click on the Dec 1 2001 folder link, then select "slideshow" to automatically view each slide, or click on each individual slide to see a larger version.

I arrived at the Seaport Marina about noon, expecting to locate a few haijin who had indicated their early arrival on Friday. Just as I was checking in Alice Frampton (British Columbia, Canada) walked through the doors, followed shortly by David Lanoue (New Orleans, LA). We shared lunch, travel stories, and company, then returned to the hotel where we found Mark and Karen Brooks (Temple, TX).

Others continued to roll in that afternoon, and we had a lovely crowd of about 12 or so for dinner at a local crab and seafood restaurant. Those of us who are vegetarians ( Fay Aoyagi and me) found a few tidbits for us on the menu while others dined on such fare as seafood salad and fresh steamed seafood dumped out onto the table for finger-eatin'.

Saturday morning a few of us gathered in the hotel restaurant for breakfast, then we all congregated in the meeting room and set up the book tables, sign in pads, programs, etc.

HSA President Jerry Ball performed the "opening remarks" segment, followed by Mark Brooks' presentation titled "The Poetics of Kigo." Mark talked about what kigo are, the benefits of and objections to using kigo, and treating kigo as a language. He stated that "while English-language haiku poets debate whether or not to use kigo, the language of haiku, Japanese haiku poets are busy expanding that language to incorporate Western references without much help from us."

Mark said the kigo system is "simply a record of associations"—a record of usage, rather than a limitation. He continued, "Artificiality comes into play only when an author 'creates' haiku from a list of kigo rather than from actual experience." We had lively and in-depth dialogue after his presentation—all constructive and meaningful. If you would like to contact Mark Brooks for more information about his presentation "Poetics of Kigo" you may email him at haiku@epiphanous.org.

We had a lunch feast at a local Indian restaurant, followed by Patricia Machmiller's presentation "Haiku Etudes: an Unveiling of the Haiku Form Through Art." She spoke on haiku in art (the art reflecting the haiku, without stating the haiku - as opposed to haiga). Patricia shared her artwork, first by stating a haiku, discussing it, then showing the painting she'd created and explaining the elements, including the layout of the haiku lines and then how that layout was displayed in the painting. She called them "renderings of haiku" - trying to be true to the haiku by putting it into a visual (nonverbal) form - a translation of an original haiku into an artform. It was fascinating, as was the discussion which followed. If you would like to contact Patricia Machmiller for more information about her presentation "Haiku Etudes: an Unveiling of the Haiku Form Through Art" you may email her at patriciajmachmiller@msn.com.

David Lanoue was the final presenter with "Rediscovering Issa." We all delighted in his knowledge and reading of Issa's haiku. A few examples (haiku by Issa, translations by David Lanoue):

nadeshiko ga o^kina hachi ni sasare keri

a blooming pink—
the big bee
gets stuck

sokkuri to kawazu [no] norishi hito ha kana

falling down
frog and all . . .
one big leaf

The discussion and sharing that followed was stimulating and rewarding. If you would like to contact David Lanoue for more information about his presentation "Rediscovering Issa" you may email him at dlanoue@xula.edu or visit his website at:

http://webusers.xula.edu/dlanoue/issa/

After a quick dinner at some local stop-and-eat places, we proceeded to Borders bookstore, where our evening reading was scheduled. The evening reading was delightful!!!!! Our featured readers were Jerry Ball, Michael Dylan Welch, Mark Brooks Patricia Machmiller, and David Lanoue—followed by an "open mike" session for which we'd signed up earlier in the day. Readers shared their haiku, haibun, tanka, and cinquain. When the public reading concluded we all went to Wendy and Tom Wright's home where we shared wine, sumptuous foods and desserts, and discussed everything from the weather to haiku issues to you-name-it. The social event broke about midnight.

Sunday morning about twelve of us participated in a ginko at the local Farmer's Market and boat harbor across from the hotel—then we returned and shared what we wrote in a round robin reading. Some left after that but about 8 of us went on to Japanese Gardens on the CSU Long Beach campus, then shared lunch before departing. The gardens were lovely, and we had a great time sharing. The entire event was wonderful in every way and included presentations, discussion, debates, fine food and drink, laughter, hugs, and memory-making camaraderie.

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Third Quarterly Meeting (National Meeting): September 22, 2001, New York, NY

The Haiku Society of America's third quarterly meeting, which was to be held in New York City on September 22, 2001, was canceled due to problems arising from the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

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Second Quarterly Meeting: June 28, 2001, Boston, MA

Executive Committee Meeting

The HSA Executive Committee meeting for the second quarter of 2001 was held in Boston, Mass., on June 28, 2001, in conjunction with Haiku North America. The EC meeting was convened at 9:00 a.m. by Pamela Miller Ness in the absence of President Jerry Ball. EC members present were Raffael de Gruttola, Jim Kacian, Howard Lee Kilby, Dave Russo, and Charles Trumbull.

Secretary's Report: Howard reported that membership has stabilized at 775 members, including 101 international members. The EC discussed the fact that, unlike national members, the international members are not represented in regional groups and that perhaps this should be considered. As a way to reduce expenses and labor, we discussed changing the current system of Howard's sending a dues-reminder card to highlighting the labels of those members who need to renew. Howard discussed the extensive amount of time required for the Secretary's duties, and the EC discussed options for helping with this task.

Treasurer's Report: The EC decided to maintain the current dues structure for 2002. We spent a significant amount of time discussing the need to raise funds and considering options: running a query in the HSA Newsletter for a volunteer fund raiser and/or hiring a professional who would receive a percentage of the funds s/he raised. Raffael indicated that this will be his final year to serve as Treasurer, but he will work closely with his replacement to ensure a smooth transition.

Frogpond: Jim discussed his search for an associate editor to work with him during 2002 and ultimately take over as editor of Frogpond. To date he has spoken with numerous members but has not found an associate editor. We considered the issue of the expense of publishing a biannual supplement to Frogpond. Some suggestions included: publish one larger issue that includes the critical articles, include more critical articles within the three yearly issues, or publish an annual critical anthology with a juried editorial board to which members could subscribe for an additional fee. Jim also said that he would like to publish a volume entitled "Best of Frogpond" to celebrate the 25th year of publication. This would be offered for sale, like A Haiku Path. Taking a vote, the EC approved the publication of a Frogpond supplement in 2001.

Nominating Committee: The EC nominated two persons to serve as the Nominating Committee for next year's HSA officers. Both, however, declined, and later Bill Lerz of Hot Springs, Ark., accepted the job.

Sora Award: The EC voted to institute the Sora Award, an award proposed by Jerry Kilbride to honor an HSA member who has made an outstanding contribution to the organization over time. The award will consist of a certificate and a small gift. The first award will be presented at the HSA meeting in New York City in September. The EC agreed that a maximum of one award per year will be presented, with an option to not to make an award in a given year.

Logo Committee: Raffael will continue to work with the Logo Committee to design an appropriate logo for the HSA that we can use on stationery and the HSA brochure, which will be reprinted after the logo is determined.

HSA Education Committee: Pamela reported that 40 teachers' packets have been sold since January 1, 2001. The Japan Society in New York currently uses the packet for all their teacher workshops, and we have had requests from two other national educational organizations to preview the packet for possible use. A 4th edition will be printed in the fall.

The Executive Committee meeting was adjourned at 11:15 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Pamela Miller Ness,
First Vice President

First Quarterly Meeting: March 17, 2001, Las Cruces, NM

Executive Committee Meeting

The meeting was scheduled for 12:00-1:30 p.m., Saturday, March 17, at the International Delight Restaurant, Las Cruces, N.M. Since President Jerry Ball and First Vice President Pamela Ness were the only Executive Committee members present, Ball declared no quorum present, no business was conducted, and the meeting was adjourned.

General Meeting

HSA Southwest Region members were delighted to have President Ball and First Vice President Ness join us in our first HSA Southwestern Region get-together. Tom Lynch started planning the event in September 2000 to coincide with the annual Border Book Festival held in Las Cruces. Some activities of our gathering overlapped with events of the Border Book Festival, but it broadened our exposure to many unfamiliar with the HSA and haiku in general. The success of this endeavor was made possible by the dedication and hard work of Tom Lynch, for which we all are grateful.

William J. Higginson and Penny Harter from Santa Fe, N.M., arrived early and gave a workshop on Friday, March 16, at the Good Samaritan Village library. "A Way With Words" was the subject. Bill and Penny took turns reading poetry and haiku from their books and discussed writing with 14 seniors. A workshop on a Southwestern saijiki was held at the historic Double Eagle restaurant on the Old Mesilla plaza on Friday evening from 6:00 to 9:00. Thirteen members attended. Before the meal we introduced ourselves; for many this was a first-time meeting. After dinner, Tom Lynch opened the workshop. The Southwest Region has a very rich Spanish heritage, so most of the kigo selected had a Hispanic flavor. Each members were asked to suggest a kigo representative of the Southwest and read a haiku using it. These efforts were collected and discussed with an eye to a Southwestern saijiki. Here are a few:

night irrigation
the ditch slowly fills
with stars
-- Dennis Dutton

sunshine yucca
white blossoms scent empty air
mustang runs free
--Jim Applegate

pueblo dog
sniffing the footprints
of tourists
-- Penny Harter

heavy air
I awaken from a nap
expecting thunder
-- Jerry Ball

I come to town
early in the morning
roasting chilies
-- Bill Higginson

roadside stall
the ristras clatter
behind the farmer
-- Tom Lynch

one by one
faralitos flicker out --
Christmas Eve
-- Marian Olson

siesta
even the air
not moving
-- Naomi Y. Brown

On Saturday at 9:00 a.m. Marian Olson gave a haiku-writing workshop "The Tiniest Poem," at the Munson Senior Center. She worked with 22 professional and nonprofessional writers, most of whom had never before penned a haiku. First, she distributed printed instructions, examples, pencils and writing pads. Marian used "Ancestral Voices," the Border Book Festival theme this year, to present a chronology of haiku voices from the 17th century to the end of the 20th century. After the group discussed the depth and nuances in several poems, Marian talked about the general characteristics found in most fine haiku. Following this initial work with model poems, she led the participants through an exercise that used a particular emotion attached to an experience from their lives and from that into the writing of their own haiku. Feedback indicated the success of the method. Those new to the form left with a clear idea of the power of haiku. Marian's technique led to some excellent work, which was published in a finely printed booklet and mailed to each participant. Among the many fresh voices were these (picked randomly):

Leaving Paris
   the midnight train
       enters a tunnel
-- Laura Lomas

Back in the city
Lights shine
Stars dim
-- Carol Brey

practicing in the park
our swords
know each other also
-- Dennis H. Dutton

During this same time period, William J. Higginson and Penny Harter were conducting separate workshops. Bill's topic was "Remembering Our Ancestors," and he helped more than a dozen participants learn methods of recovering lost information about past events. Later in a public reading, Bill read poems about his grandmother's life as well as haiku and translations from recent books.

Penny led a workshop, "Reaching Back: A Letter to the Unknown," in which she encouraged some 15 participants to connect with ancestors they know little or nothing about. Later she read poems from her books Grandmother's Milk and Lizard Light: Poems from the Earth. From 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. about 25 participants enjoyed herbal tea and leisurely paced haiku readings the Haiku Tardeada (tardeada is Spanish for afternoon tea) at the Lemongrass Restaurant. Earlier Tom Lynch had instructed us to bring a handful of "ancestral voice haiku" as well as 5-10 of our own verses to read. Tom opened the readings, followed by Jerry Ball, Dennis Dutton, Noor Singh Khalsa, Marian Olson, Marlene Egger, Jim Applegate, Bill Higginson and Penny Harter. Then Pamela Ness read some of her tanka. After reading "ancestral voice haiku" and some of her haiku, Naomi Y. Brown recited Kakinamoto Hitomara's chôka from the Man'yôshu in Japanese and then Bill Higginson read its translation by Donald Keene. All together 11 haiku poets participated in this event.

On Saturday evening several members got together at the Tatsu Japanese Restaurant. Over hot sake and Japanese cuisine they relaxed and visited until it was closing time.

The final get-together was a ginkô Sunday morning. at the Dripping Spring Natural Area in the Organ Mountains east of Las Cruces. Mark Brooks, Pamela Ness, Marian Olson, and Gloria Cano had departed early so 11 took part in the ginko: Jerry Ball (who left early to catch his flight), Tom Lynch, Dennis Dutton, Noor Khalsa, Penny Harter, Bill Higginson, Jim and Beth Ann Applegate, Marlene Egger, and Clayton and Naomi Brown. We were blessed with a gentle breeze and a warm sun. We chose the four-mile trail to La Cueva, the hermit's cave. It was a gentle climb at start but became a bit steeper near the cave. Along the path, we identified prickly pear, desert sage, greasewood, banana yucca, and Mormon tea. Some of the smooth rocks had a slippery moss-like growth, probably lichen. At La Cueva Tom pointed out petroglyphs near the entrance. The cave was dry and roomy. Returning to the trailhead, we gathered around the picnic table, ate our sack lunches, and concentrated on writing haiku. Each took turns reading two or three haiku (Penny wrote eight!). Here are some of the group's creations:

my shadow
on the tiny white primroses
a stinkbug moves
--Bill Higginson

desert catch basin
the iridescent flash
of Phainopepla
--Marlene Egger

Spring ginko
Noor takes a nap
on a hackberry branch
--Dennis Dutton

two ravens spiral
above the hermit's cave --
their fading call
-- Penny Harter

hermit's cave
abandoned now
except for the wasps
-- Tom Lynch

La Cueva Trail
the hikers' footsteps
break the silence
-- Naomi Y. Brown

By 2:00 p.m., we were back at the parking lot but reluctant to leave. We all took with us memories of the beautiful Organ Mountains and the ginkô.

-- Naomi Y. Brown,
Southwest Region Coordinator

2000

4th Quarter | 3rd Quarter | 2nd Quarter | 1st Quarter

Fourth Quarterly Meeting December 1-3, 2000, San Francisco, CA

The Fourth Quarterly Meeting of 2000 was hosted by the California Region in San Francisco on Saturday, December 2 at the Best Western Miyako Hotel in Japantown.

Executive Committee Meeting

Committee Members present were Jerry Ball, 1st Vice President, presiding Raffael de Gruttola, Treasurer Alice Benedict, 2nd Vice President Guest: Pamela Miller Ness, HSA Education Committee chair and 1st Vice President-elect. We discussed the following items:

President: nothing in particular to report

Secretary: Howard Kilby reports the following (communicated by Raffael) : The results of the HSA election of Officers and Regional Coordinators for 2001 are appended to these minutes. All EC members received them by e-mail as well. Thanks to Howard, once again, for the timely results! Howard once again proposes splitting the office of HSA Secretary into a Membership Secretary and a Corresponding Secretary to help deal with the increased workload. Those present agreed with the idea. It seems we need an amendment to the By-laws and a vote of the membership. We now need to draft an amendment to the bylaws that can be voted upon, preferably between now and the next quarterly meeting.

Treasurer's Report: Raffael reports the current account stands at $4,592. Though finances are workable for now, HSA should think seriously about finding other ways to raise funds than largely by membership fees. Some ideas were discussed and proposals for further action made:

(1) Look into possible grant funding, especially education-related grants (for example from NEA). Sylvia Forges-Ryan at one time worked on this; Raffael volunteered to talk with her, with a view to making a serious attempt to submit a new grant proposal.

(2) A possible re-issue of A Haiku Path. We should begin discussing what this would involve.

(3) Better advertising, especially getting the word out about HSA to teachers. This might be something Regional Coordinators could help with, and that could also be pursued through materials for teachers posted to the web page. A special membership rate for teachers, libraries, etc. was also suggested. This would decrease revenue at first, but perhaps increase overall membership later.

(4) Make it clearer that additional donations are accepted and greatly appreciated.

First Vice President's Report: (Jerry Ball) Tentative meeting dates and locations for 2001 were proposed: First Quarterly Meeting: Arkansas, March 24 (Howard Kilby) [this was later changed --ed.]; Second Quarterly Meeting: Haiku North America, Boston June 29 (Raffael de Gruttola); Third Quarterly Meeting: New York City, September 22 (Pamela Miller Ness); Fourth Quarterly meeting: Long Beach, December 1 (Jerry Ball).

Jerry had a thought for a traveling poets' hospitality network. There could be a list of HSA members who would be happy to host a traveling poet for a few days during a meeting or other poetry journey. Something like this exists in an informal way now, nevertheless, those present liked the idea. A notice to the members, by e-mail, or possibly a notice on the Web site asking for people to sign up could move this ahead.

Second Vice President: Alice Benedict reports that the Henderson, Brady, and Virgilio contests for 2000 have been successfully concluded. The judges are still deliberating in the Einbond Renku Contest. They will try to finish before the holidays; failing that it will be complete in January 2001. I am gathering the Contest library of Frogponds, mailing lists, and general correspondence and will send it to John Stevenson, the new contest chairman. Also, I will send Charlie winning renku for inclusion on the HSA Web site. I express, once again, my pleasure in having coordinated contests for HSA, and thanks to all the judges (36 of them, all nice to work with) and contest participants.

Electronic Communications Officer: Dave Russo (via Raffael) reports that the HSA Web site is up and running. Response has been very positive indeed. Congratulations to Dave and Charlie for their hard work! Suggestions for things to add at some point: Education material, a membership application (so people can join).

Education Committee Report: Pamela Miller Ness reported that the education packets have been selling well: 43 packets are sold, and 28 remain. At $15 each, the revenues cover expenses. The response of teachers using the packets as been very good: they are thrilled to have something this reliable and usable all in one place. We discussed the possibility of putting something from the packet onto the Web page (such as the suggestions for running a haiku workshop): this would be a promotion for the packet, and a freebie that teachers can print and use (something of a web tradition). Pamela and the Education Committee will propose something; maybe Dave could look at what's possible and simple enough.

Other Business: Raffael brought up having an official logo and letterhead. All agreed that it's overdue. Suggestions were that it carry through some elements of design and/or typography from the web page (so everything looks pulled together). There have been ideas for this in the past, but all were rejected. It's probably best to start over.

Upcoming Haiku Events: Haiku North America: Raffael gave a detailed outline of exciting plans for HNA in Boston, June 28-July 1. The theme is Haiku and Beyond.

Jerry reported good progress on plans for Haiku Pacific Rim 2002, to be held in Long Beach, Calif., an event to celebrate haiku and bring together haiku poets of this large region of the world and beyond. He has secured meeting space through California State University at Long Beach, early participation of organizations such as the Japan Society, and interest from poets in Japan and elsewhere in the region. The EC meeting was adjourned at about 10:00. -- Alice Benedict, (for Howard Lee Kilby, HSA Secretary)

General Meeting

Early arrivals met Friday evening for dinner and lively conversation at a local noodle house. Saturday morning while the Executive Committee met, attendees gathered in the conference room to meet, greet, and browse the book, literature, and poetry displays. Claire Gallagher opened the General Meeting at 10:00 a.m. with words of welcome. Approximately 55 people from near and far -- including several new to HSA or HPNC --attended part or all of Saturday's events. Each poet introduced herself or himself and read a poem before First Vice President Jerry Ball presented a summary of the Executive Committee meeting, including the Treasurer's report and a tally of the HSA election results.

The keynote presentation was a memorable event focusing on "The Mystery of Haiku." Poet Vincent Tripi read a moving selection of poems, groups of which were prefaced by quotes from other writers who illuminate the mystery of life for him. Vincent's readings were interspersed with, and sometimes spoken over, Native American flute music played by Gary Topper. Vincent gave attendees a letterpress bookmark with the words haiku and tribe imprinted in close juxtaposition in gold and black near an exquisite feather.

"We are surrounded by a rich and fertile mystery . . . may we not probe it, pry into it, employ ourselves about it -- a little?"

-- Henry David Thoreau

The season's last loon
       in the mist
            seeing it anyway
-- vincent tripi

The program continued with Patrick Gallagher's description of the San Francisco Bay Area Haiku Season Word Project. This project was initiated over a year ago by Bay Area poets to compile appropriate local season words. Patrick presented the goal of the project as the strengthening of the use of season words in English-language haiku and developing sensitivity for local season words. Prototype pages of an anticipated publication of a local dictionary of season words were displayed. Patrick read several poems that showed the use of a local season word. The poem below by Laurie Stoelting uses soap root flowers, a Bay Area summer season word.

picking soap root flowers at sunset
my hands fill
with stars

A break provided time for small-group lunches at various venues in Japantown, visiting a few small shops or the Kinokuniya Bookstore, and brief sightseeing. Participants reconvened for Raffael de Gruttola's presentation, "Haiku vs. Plagiarism: A Farmer's Market." One of Raffael's main points was that poets can not avoid writing and rewriting poems that have been written previously if we continue to use only classical methods and conventional subjects.

Next on the program was David G. Lanoue's reading from his novel, Haiku Guy. As David introduced Cup-of-Tea (Issa), the bumpkin haiku student Buck Teeth, Lord Kaga as personification of Edo period culture, and the 20th century writer/protagonist in New Orleans, the audience learned about haiku. David's exquisite eye for detail, wry humor, and haiku lessons left us on the edge of our seats wanting more.

"We'd stop at the curb, and every time before crossing over to the church or back to the school, we'd hear a life-saving litany recited at the top of Sister Agoniste's drill sergeant lungs: 'Stop, look, and listen, children!' This, it turned out was my first lesson in the art of haiku."

-- from Haiku Guy

After a social break, we resumed with poetry readings, beginning with Laurie Stoelting, who read from her new book, Light on the Mountain:

whitewater
it took the moonlight
to show me

For about an hour poets in succession read 5-10 poems in what many considered to be one of the finest readings ever heard. Following this there was a call for reading what turned out to be a handful of poems written in Japantown that day; they were uniformly senryu or approximations:

Japantown shop
the identical bellies
of Buddha and Santa
--Claire Gallagher

The day's program began and ended with music accompanying a haiku reading. Raffael de Gruttola closed the program by reading a jûnicho (twelve-link) renku written by himself and Tadashi Kondo. Electric cello improvisation by Danielle de Gruttola prefaced and followed echoing and expanding each link of another bay. Listeners carried an enthralled buoyancy away. Many conferees attended a group dinner at a Korean barbecue as well as an evening social at the home of member Paul Watsky.

-- Claire Gallagher

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Third Quarterly Meeting (National Meeting) September 23, 2000, New York, NY

Business Meeting

The meeting was called to order by President John Stevenson at 10:45 a.m. Present were John Stevenson and Raffael de Gruttola. The minutes for the previous (June 2000) meeting were accepted as posted in the last Newsletter.

Treasurer's report: An annual report and a report covering the third quarter were presented and discussed. A summary appears elsewhere in this Newsletter. Education Committee report: A report from Pamela Miller Ness was received and reviewed. The Education Committee recommends that we raise the price of the third edition of the "HSA Resources for Teachers" packet from the current $15 to $20 postpaid or $15 when purchased directly or in quantity by institutions. The Executive Committee will be asked to discuss and vote on this recommendation via e-mail.

Membership listing: A decision has been made by the Executive Committee to resume printing full addresses on the Membership listings. John felt that it was important to advise members, however, that it has proven impossible to control the commercial or other uses made of the listing and that members should realize that the information becomes essentially public, even though HSA does not provide it to nonmembers. Individual members may, if they wish, request that the secretary delete their addresses from the general listing which is provided to the entire membership.

HSA Members' Anthology: Editor Claire Gallagher has reported that the 2000 Members' Anthology, Crinkled Sunlight, will be available this fall, in time for holiday orders. Merit Book Awards: The report of the judges, Tom Clausen and Ebba Story, was reviewed prior to its presentation to the membership during the general meeting. John indicated that he had mailed letters of congratulations to the winning authors and editors earlier in the week.

Location of members: A report from Howard Lee Kilby was presented that indicated that HSA's current (September) membership is 804: 709 residing in the United States and 95 residing in other countries, including Canada (34 members), Japan (20 members), Great Britain (16 members) and 15 other countries.

Nominating Committee: The report of the Nominating Committee was reviewed prior to its presentation in the general meeting (during which the nominations we