I have a few more pics but mostly memories.
But I do have news from Haiku Canada! Mike Montreuil is the new president of Haiku Canada as Angela Leuck steps down and more into her publishing, Yarrow Press.
Jessica Allyson the new head newsletter editor of Haiku Canada Review. Maxianne and I continue as the English and French book review editors and as coordinators of the Betty Drevniok and of the Jocelyn Villeneuve contests respectively. The results are on the Haiku Canada website.
The Marianne Bluger Book & Chapbook Awards Results, 2026 judged by TA Carter and Philomene Kocher.
Books
1st Place – Gary Hotham, Our Backs to the Wind:Selected Haiku of Gary Hotham (Brooks Books, US) and
Debbie Strange, Random Blue Sparks (Snapshot Press, UK)
2nd Place – Chuck Brickley, downhill home (Snapshot Press, UK)
3rd Place – Marco Fraticelli, Slowly Turning (Yarrow, Quebec)
Chapbooks
1st Place – Marco Fraticelli, Happy Birthday (Kings Road Press, Quebec)
2nd Place – Marianne Paul, the drift from here to where (Paper Heron, Canada)
3rd Place – Beth Skala, Dear Sir or Madam: Poems From a 1970s Office (Canada)
A lot of the shortlisted book titles were from Red Moon Press and a lot of the over 40 chapbooks submitted were self-published.
Next year is Haiku Canada’s 50th anniversary & the conference will be the May Long Weekend 2027 at the University of Saskatchewan, Dept of Education, Saskatoon.
This fall there will be a more intimate gathering of Haiku retreat at St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Sept 4-6 under Carole and Angela with 5 streams of focus, (tanka, haiku, haibun, haiga and ?).
Each month are planned more activities across Canada to introduce people to haiku.
Because one of the gingko walks was around and through Murney Tower all participants were invited to share their haiku from it to be part of the display at the museum through the summer.