Green Haiku

The Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture is seeking up to four (4) poets to create Haikus or short poetry to broaden public thinking about reuse, recycling and a greener environment. The poems will be featured as part of the annually-changing art panels at Seventh Avenue and West Glenrosa Street and on an art billboard devoted to images about recycling along Grand Avenue. The “Green” Haiku will be displayed at these and possibly other sites for at least one year.

Deadline:  Friday, December 7, 2012, 4:00 PM Arizona time

To download the full call go to http://www.phoenix.gov/arts/businessoac/index.html. (You will be asked to fill out a short Web form.  This is so we can contact you should any changes be made to the RFQ. Once completed, a PDF document will open).

For questions please contact Jeanine Garcia, Public Art Project Assistant at 602-534-5084, email jeanine.garcia@phoenix.gov.
 
For questions concerning the procurement process please contact Scott Steventon at 602-534-8334, email scott.steventon@phoenix.gov.

Poetry Corner

Haiku is in the news today.

NPR's Morning Edition and AZCentral.com report that the Arizona Department of Transportation is tapping Twitter poets to compose haiku about sand storm safety.

To publicize the dangers of driving during the storms, sometimes called haboobs, the agency issued a challenge this week to its more than 14,000 Twitter followers: Write a haiku about safe driving amid blowing dust. http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2012/06/14/20120614arizona-dust-storm-safety-17-syllables-haiku-haboob.html#ixzz1xsWofZ3w

Visit AZCentral.com or Morning Edition to read selected poems, then tweet your own with #haboobhaikus.

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More Twitter-related poetry

Following tweet by Annette Makino @Ant99, my browser turned to Pune Juice, a quarterly online journal of senryu, kyoka and haiga. Submission deadlines and past publications are at http://prunejuice.wordpress.com/ or follow them at @prunejuicemag

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Haikai no Renga Poetry Party

We recently discovered what a wonderful party game Haikai no Renga is! A form of linked poetry, renga is linked verse poetry composed by two or more authors. Here is a sampling of some verses composed by a dozen or so of our guests at Harvey-sensei's birthday party:

White birds flying high
whispers from the southern wind
life beyond the fence

Grace notes; a gift from the sky
Pure white droplets from above

lights bright from above
the streets don't sleep anymore
just rain sometimes veils

Sleeping -- sleeping -- I can't sleep
It's 3 a.m. I'm awake …

 Just like sake in our cups, the verses flowed freely. The full poems and more thoughts about our renga party are posted here at holliix.blogspot.com

Harvest Moon

A harvest Moon!
And on the mats—
Shadows of pine boughs.

–Takarai Kikaku,
Japanese poet (1661–1707)

Veterans For Peace To Host Peace Poetry Celebration

April 25  – Arcata, CA – Dozens of Humboldt high school students have submitted their poems about peace, the abolition of war, hate or violence, or peacemaking in our communities, and have been invited to read their works at the 2011 Peace Poetry Celebration hosted by Veterans For Peace Chapter 56 at 7pm on May 6 at the Unitarian Universalists’ Meeting Hall, 23 Fellowship Way in Bayside, Calif. The event is free and open to the public.

Cash prizes will be awarded to five poets, and all poems submitted will be published in the Redwood Coast Peace Poetry Anthology. Poets will receive a free copy of the Anthology, which will also be made available for sale after the event through VFP Chapter 56. Copies will also be donated to local schools and libraries.

The Redwood Coast Peace Poetry Contest is sponsored by Humboldt Bay Chapter 56 of Veterans For Peace, Humboldt Unitarian Universalists Fellowship, and the Humboldt Chapter of the Buddhist Peace.

For more information, see www.vfp56.org or contact Jon Reisdorf at (707) 822-4595 or jonreisdorf@hotmail.com; or Carl Stancil at (707) 616-6405 or carlstancil@gmail.com.

Poetry Group

The Redwood Coast Writers Center (another Dream Maker Program of the Ink People Center for the Arts) has a poetry group that meets on Wednesday afternoons at 2:00 p.m. in Arcata (Humboldt County, Calif.). They looking for serious people who want to bring new work to discuss. No cost, no age limit. Contact Daryl at (707) 822-6170 if interested.

Amy & Aiko Uyeki Senryu Poetry Reading

Shizue Harada’s poignant poems, (pen name Sanae) along with artwork created by her granddaughter Amy Uyeki, are the subject of a poetry reading of Sanae, Senryu Poet: Her Life in 5-7-5, read by Amy and editor Aiko Uyeki, Sanae’s daughter.


Following the poetry reading, the Uyekis will conduct a workshop exploring senryu and haiga, which combines poetry with artwork.

Wed., Sept. 15, 2010
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Price: Free
Where: Library Fishbowl (Room 209), Humboldt State University Campus
(download a campus map [pdf])

For more details, contact Kumi Watanabe-Schock email (707) 826-5656

Poetry reading and booksigning

If you missed the Senryu poetry reading and workshop earlier this month, you have another opportunity to listen to readings from Sanae, Senryu Poet, Her Life in 5-7-5, the poetry of Shizue Harada. And, of course, purchase a copy and have it signed!

Friday, Aug. 27, 7:00 p.m.
Northtown Books
957 H St., Arcata
822-2834

Senryu Poetry Reading and Workshop

Shizue Harada’s poignant poems, (pen name Sanae) along with artwork created by her granddaughter Amy Uyeki, are the subject of a poetry reading of Sanae, Senryu Poet: Her Life in 5-7-5, read by Amy and editor Aiko Uyeki, Sanae’s daughter.

Kumi Watanabe Schock will serve as translator.

Following the poetry reading, the Uyekis will conduct a workshop exploring the poetry medium of senryu and introducing the ancient art of haiga, which combines poetry with artwork.

The Nikkei (descendants of Japan) community are encouraged to participate. Both events are open to the public and free of charge. Another reading/workshop is being planned for this fall at the HSU Multicultural Center, Arcata.

Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
24 Fellowship Way, Bayside
Tuesday, Aug. 3, 6:30 p.m.
707-826-0163

Event listing from the North Coast Journal website

Books are available at Northtown Books in Arcata or online at www.amyuyeki.com

Ukiah spelled backward is...

... Haiku!

And Ukiah has a Haiku festival in late April. Who knew? Not me! I learned about it only after the event was over. I'm putting it on the calendar for next year. It's only a three-hour drive for us and could be a lot of fun. Care to join us?

Read more about it:

SFGate.com
www.ukiahaiku.org
www.ahapoetry.com/aguide.htm

Live forward

Each year a theme is chosen for the Imperial Japanese poetry competition in Japan. This year's theme is "Sei," meaning "to live forward."

Sweetpersimmon blog has a delightful description of the competition. Read about it at http://sweetpersimmon1.blogspot.com/2009/01/living-forward-for-year.html

Please also take a minute to visit the sweetpersimmon blog's sister website, http://www.issoantea.com/

Waka wish

Going to Japan
tea practice and birdwatching
with good company

Gardens and temples and food
old friends and new friends meeting

Spring two thousand ten…

Composed by the Tuesday Tea Folk while painting Daruma's eye. Help us complete the verse?