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the Haiku Canada Conference 2007 (a review)

Photos and Text by William J. Higginson

One of the great pleasures of every Haiku Canada Weekend Penny and I have been to, is that people are very friendly, and the pacing of the conference, despite its short duration, allows many opportunities for talking with friends—some of whom we get to see mostly at conferences. Here are a few photos of some of those interactions, plus a few others that didn't seem to fit under any other heading. And we did talk . . .

at Breakfast . . .

It wasn't easy, talking with each other over breakfast, as there were about 1000 Ontario youth also conferencing on the Carleton campus that weekend, eating in the Commons, but we did it, many of us. Good food and good conversation.

in the Book Room . . .

Here Penny Harter and Abigail Friedman share a light moment, with part of our From Here Press display in the background—it just happened that way! (See more on the books.)

 

with Long-Time Friends after the Banquet . . .

Here are two poets who have known each other for some time, Muriel Ford and George Swede, with other conversations going on in the background.

and New Friends too!

Rick Black and Claudia Coutu Radmore share thoughts, as others listen. (Sorry for the severe cropping, but the glare of late afternoon sun just about wiped out this photo. Claudia's face is partly obscured by the overexposed head of her neighbor.)

Obviously, these are only two of many, many conversations that went on during the weekend.

 

Action at the Auction

One end of the book room was filled with objects available in the silent auction. Available items included books, magazines (haiku, sumo), ceramics, jewelry, and others. A number of conferees bid on most of the items offered; some bid several times. For my own auction treasure, see the books page. And a special thanks to Claudia, who organized the auction in great style. (The few items left without bids were forwarded on to Kado Ottawa, for possible sale at their next meeting. This seemed fitting, as Kado Ottawa was the main support group to Terry Ann in organizing the conference.)

Terry Ann in Motion

Why was Terry Ann moving so rapidly? She was dancing for joy, as she had just been given a bright red Japanese happi coat (a light-weight jacket usually worn by traditional workers and crafts-persons) by Guy Simser, as a special thank-you from Kado Ottawa for all the work she'd done coordinating this year's Haiku Canada Weekend.

Terry Ann Contemplates the Conference

More than once, I caught Terry Ann in a contemplative pose. Here, she watches the action from the sidelines, as someone else presents a program. (At her elbow is a bottle of Dasani water, a popular machine-available beverage at the conference.)

A Great Meeting!

Penny saw it through the window of the banquet room, so we walked out to get a better look: the crescent moon and Venus were in conjunction that Saturday night. So the heavens confirmed what we already knew: A wonderful meeting was taking place in Ottawa that weekend.

And, if you haven't already done so, take a look at the other web pages on the program, books, freebies, karuta (the game of matching parts of well-known haiku and tanka), and renku (collaborative linked-poetry).

Contact William J. Higginson at wordfield[at]att[dot]net.