NPO World Haiku Association has about 200 members from more than 40 countries, publishing every year multilingual book “World Haiku”, its newest No. 11 in Japan. Every two years the association holds its world-wide conference in Japan as well as overseas to become a creative source of haiku which has been an essential short poem for all humanity. The 8th Conference will be organized in Tokyo, inviting about twenty poets from overseas in its venue: Ochanomizu Campus of Meiji University, from 4 to 6 September in 2015.
Theme is Limitless Dialogue: From its beginnings the short poem form of the haiku contains a mixture of often contradictory elements, hence giving it a built-in source for argument. Today, the practice of haiku has spread throughout the world, and dialogue between different languages and cultures now presents itself as an important medium for the exchange of ideas. At this conference we hope to provide a platform for dialogue between differing languages, cultures, and genres.
Ban’ya Natsuishi(Japan)
He was born in 1955 in Hyogo prefecture. Studied at the University of Tokyo where he received a Masters of Arts in Comparative Literature and Culture. Currently, he works as a Professor of French language at Meiji University, and serves as a director of the World Haiku Association as well as a publisher and a chief editor of the international haiku quarterly Ginyu. Attended many international poetry and haiku festivals including Vilenica (Slovenia), Struga (Macedonia). Poetry Spring (Lithuania). Authored numerous Japanese and overseas publications including A Future Waterfall (USA). Collected Haiku Poems: Crossing Borders and Flying Pope. His awards include 1980 Poet of the Year (Haiku-hyron). First Prize in the 1981 Haiku-Kenkyu monthly competition. Shii-no-ki Prize, the Modern Haiku Association Prize, the Hekigodo Kawahigashi Prize of the 21st Century, the Ehime Haiku Prize and AZsacra International Poetry Award.
Ichitaro Yamamoto
Secretary-general
The 8th World Haiku Association Conference Executive Committee
Dai2 NisshinHaitu202, 1-11-9 Daita, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 155-0033
Tel:+81-(0)90-5581-1568
Fax:+81-(0)3-3429-6990
E-mail:sa44ishik@jcom.home.ne.jp
Liberty Halll, Meiji University(Chiyoda City, Tokyo)