Washington Regional Meeting of the Haiku Society of America

“The Ecology of Haiku”

Saturday, August 27, 2022

10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

The Breazeale Interpretive Center

at the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

10441 Bayview-Edison Road, Mount Vernon, Washington 98273

You’re invited to attend the Washington State regional meeting of the Haiku Society of America at the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. The event is FREE thanks to the Haiku Society of America and the Padilla Bay Reserve. We’ll provide packaged snacks and drinks but please bring your own lunch. This will be a fun time meeting up with folks you haven’t seen in person for a while, particularly in these difficult days.

The theme for this gathering is “The Ecology of Haiku” and the main question for consideration is the following: What is the ecology or interconnection between your haiku and the environment? While many agree that haiku is not always about nature, we will focus on how our beliefs about nature shape the haiku we write when we do create haiku focusing on nature. To facilitate this, the beautiful surroundings of the Padilla Bay, an estuary in the Salish Sea at the edge of the Skagit River delta, will provide us with a rich environment for our discussions on this topic through workshops, presentations, informal chats, a ginkō (haiku walk), and haiku readings.

Photos above by Victor Ortiz. See photos by Michael Dylan Welch from another haiku event held at the Padilla Bay Nature Reserve on June 23, 2012.

Presenters

• Rena Priest, a member of the Lhaq’temish (Lummi) Nation, and current Washington State poet laureate

• Michael Dylan Welch, poet, scholar, editor/publisher, essayist, founder/cofounder and director of many haiku organizations and conferences

• Victor Ortiz, Haiku Society of America regional coordinator for Washington state

Schedule (meet at Stevens Center)

9:30 a.m.     Set up (we’ll provide snacks, coffee, tea, and water)

10:00 a.m. Introductions, and round of reading (please bring your own or someone else’s nature-themed haiku to share)

10:15 a.m.   Padilla Bay Reserve staff: “Overview of Padilla Bay Reserve and Breazeale Interpretive Museum”

10:30 a.m.   Victor Ortiz: “Ecology of Haiku Workshop”

10:50 a.m.   Break

11:00 p.m.   Rena Priest, a member of the Lhaq’temish (Lummi) Nation, and current Washington State Poet Laureate:

“Fishing for Salmon Poems Workshop”

11:50 p.m.   Group photo

12:00 p.m.   Lunch (BYOL—Bring Your Own Lunch)

1:00 p.m.     Michael Dylan Welch: “Forest Bathing and the Art of Haiku”

1:50 p.m.     Ginkō (haiku walk): Explore the Upland Trail (meadow and forest habitat) and/or the Observation Deck / Estuary Mudflat (a low-tide day)—read more about the Upland Trail and Observation Deck

2:50 a.m.     Break

3:00 p.m.     Carole MacRury: Haiku readings—share haiku walk poems and other nature-focused haiku

3:45 p.m.     Wrap-up

4:00 p.m.     Cleanup (out by 4:15)

5:00 p.m.     Optional dinner at Skagit Landing restaurant, 15426 Airport Drive, Suite. B, Burlington, Washington

Please RSVP

To help us reserve space at a local restaurant, please let us know if you plan to attend an optional dinner gathering after the event by emailing Victor Ortiz at hsavictorortiz@gmail.com.

Location

Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve campus is located at 10441 Bayview-Edison Road, Mount Vernon, WA 98273. Receptionist: 360-428-1558. See map (with directions below).

Directions

• Interstate 5 Exit 230, just north of Mount Vernon

• Highway 20 West toward Anacortes about six miles

• Right at stop light onto Bay View-Edison Road (the Farmhouse Restaurant is at this intersection)

• North five miles, past Bay View State Park

• Breazeale Interpretive Center will be on your right, a quarter mile past the state park

Parking and Transportation

Parking is limited, so please carpool or ride-share, if possible, to reduce on-site traffic. Parking is free and vehicles should park only in designated spaces.

Covid-19

The Covid pandemic is still of concern to all of us. If you plan to participate, it is important that you be vaccinated to help protect all attendees. In addition, you are encouraged to wear a mask. If you are experiencing Covid symptoms, we ask that you stay home.

The Padilla Bay Reserve is in Skagit County. To check current Covid-19 transmission levels in Skagit County (or where you live), visit the CDC website to learn about Covid-19 community levels by county and their recommendations for wearing a mask or respirator. We look forward to seeing you in person!