"Spirit of Obon" haiku contest

Announcing the "Spirit of Obon" haiku contest for the Obon Festival at the Shin Tao Haiku Retreat, to be held August 7,8,9. The deadline for the entries is August 2nd at Midnight, slt. Haiku, Haiga, Senryu and Tanka are all welcome for this contest. Please contact DanteOsaka Deschanel, Pomona Writer, or Sunnie Beaumont in Second Life if you have other questions. Happy writing! -- Dante

Flying Insect Haiku Contest Winners

Many thanks to everyone who helped out and attended our Sakura Mushi Festival, which was a great success. Congratulations as well to our Flying Insect Haiku Contest Winners.


Zen meditation
I must try to concentrate
But the mosquito!

by Inarra Onmura


I tap the cold glass
but the trapped fly does not care.
He keeps crawling upward.

by Rosarie Alecto

a moth leaves
a young girl's grave...
only moonlight now

by Dalloway Palianta

small squashed mosquito
you wanted so little
now both our blood's spilled

by Mudpie Mornington

afternoon sun -
a honey bee greets
his eighty-first flower

by Dalloway Palianta

shortening day
the lonely sound
of a cicada

by Ngagpa Writer

Rondeau Short Poetry Workshop, Tue - 4/7 - 7 pm SLT

DanteOsaka Deschanel guest hosts this week’s Rondeau Short Poetry Workshop. This French style of short poetry is similar to the Rondolet, which was also one of our previous workshops. This 15 line lyrical poetry style has refrains, syllables, and rhymes. Dante will teach us all about it, so join us at Inksters to learn, write and share your Rondeaux.
Rose Garden. Inksters Rose Garden Classroom (212,135,21) in Second Life

Sakura Mushi Festival

The Sakura Mushi Festival of Blossoms and Insects will take place on Saturday, April 18,2009, all day.
There will be poetry readings, the awarding of the flying insects haiku contest winners, opening of the Flying Insects Display in the Shin Tao World Room, music, dancing and a lot of fun.

Oh and don't forget to submit your insect haikus! The deadline has been extendet to April 10. Contact DanteOsaka Deschanel, Pomona Writer, or Sunnie Beaumont in Second Life.

The Basics of Haiku-season words

Shin Tao Haiku Retreat presents an installment of The Basics of Haiku, wherein we examine many of the key components to writing haiku in English.
This week we will be taking a look at Season Words. Please join us in the courtyard of the Library of Haiku for a discussion on the importance of the seasonal element in the history of haiku, and how you can use it to better your own poems. Friday, March 20, 7.30 pm, slt. Come help us explore the world through haiku.

-- DanteOsaka

Insects haiku contest

Shin Tao Haiku Retreat is accepting entries for its current haiku contest on a theme of flying insects. If you have any haiku about butterflies, wasps, flies, bees, beetles, mosquitos, moths or any other flying bug you can think of, send them to us! There will be prizes for the winners, and all poets will also be eligible to have their entries accepted for our flying insect display which will debut in SL on April 18.

Deadline for the contest is midnight, SLT, April 4. Poets may enter as many times as they like. Haiga may also be entered, which will not influence the chance to win in the contest, but will likely increase the chance to be selected to appear in the display.

The flying insect display will be a featured part of our Sakura Blossom festival to be held on the weekend of April 18.

All poets are welcome to participate. Send submissions on a notecard with your name, or as an object with Modify and Copy rights, to DanteOsaka Deschanel, Pomona Writer, or Sunnie Beaumont. Contact any of them for further information.

--DanteOsaka

Short Poetry Workshop 1st Anniversary

Shin tao proudly congratulates our own Sunnie Beaumont for the completion of one year as head of the Short Poetry Workshop at inksters.