Redthread a moveable feast

Dear friends in Redthread

 

Stuart sounds well this morning. I have just spoken to him. He is still in the nursing home, waiting to get sheltered housing appropriate to his needs, and working on his haiku collection. He is in good spirits. He has not got his laptop or address book, so he sends his thanks through me to those of you who have sent your good wishes and greetings cards.

 

The other news, as Sean may have told you, is that Sean and Jim are planning to revive Haiku Spirit. This is a wonderful development. For those of you who don't know, Haiku Spirit was the best-ever haiku magazine, because it was very selective, not packed to the gills with s0-what haiku, and because it followed the Redthread principles of expecting haiku to have what Ken called 'existential resonance,' or a spiritual, meditative quality. It had a lovely personality. Sean also tells me that he and Jim are holding haibun and haiku meetings in Ireland, and thinking of organising further events.

 

We did not arrange our next Redthread gathering when we parted in October. Some of us have been feeling that Redthread is in danger of going stale - the same old people doing the same old things - and needs freshening up. So I am writing to you to propose changes, in the light of the new developments. Let us turn Redthread into a moveable feast. 

• I suggest we arrange a day workshop in Sheffield sometime later in the year when Stuart is settled, so that he can attend. 
• I want to introduce some new blood in the form of distinguished poets Maggie Sawkins (winner of the Ted Hughes prize) and Hugh Dunkerley (winner of a Gregory award), both of whom live like me on the south coast, so I propose another day workshop in our region. 
• Sean and Jim look as though they are organising events in Ireland, to which they would no doubt welcome us. 
• And you may have your own ideas.
• I put a lot of work into getting our group website up and running in the way we wanted, but it is not being used. We should be able to keep in touch with our writing workshops by posting to Redthread Forum. Nobody is churning out wonderful new haibun as Ken used to do, but Stuart does some, and Jim, I believe, is now workshopping haibun in Dublin. If this activity were more energetic, we would have a central focus. I'll post this letter to the Forum also, so that we can discuss it together. 
• At one point we were thinking of editing a Redthread 'Selected Poems.'

Ladies and gentlemen of the noble sangha, what do you think?

 

With a deep bow

 

George