This year the BHS Spring Gathering took place on Zoom on Sunday, 7 June 2026, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm UK time.
Programme
· Opening remarks and introductions.
· A short welcoming activity, adapted for a summer theme. The focus was on haiku with an original or unusual summer reference, and participants had the opportunity to share either their own work or summer haiku by other poets.
· Breakout rooms featuring a combined creative session using music and painting/image prompts.
· Plenary session, with each group sharing two selected pieces.
· Closing remarks and thanks.
In preparation for the breakout-room session, the participants were asked to look at the prompts before the event and write two haiku: one inspired by the musical pieces and one inspired by the suggested paintings.
Music prompts
· Summertime by George Gershwin (1934)
· Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis (1960)
· Summer from Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons (2012)
Painting prompts
· The Hay Harvest (also known as Haymaking) by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1565)
· Flower Garden by Gustav Klimt (1907)
· The Lighthouse at Two Lights by Edward Hopper (1929)
On the day 29 poets from Bulgaria, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, UK and USA joined the event and they had the opportunity to share, write, and explore the connections between haiku, music, and visual art.
Two examples of haiku with an original or unusual summer reference from Blithe Spirit 34.3:
alone tonight
the sea and the whiskey
on the rocks
—Bryan Rickert
moon in June
reflecting
strawberry ripples
—Peter Rees
Here are some of the poems which were shared during the plenary session:
Inspired by the music
summertime
learning new things
from clouds passing by
—Ann Rawson
untrimmed grass—
the lazy sway
of wild daisies
—Katrina Serwe
gathering wind
the chaff from harvest fields
brushes the milky way
—Sara Winteridge
flamenco
a Cordobes hat held high
yellowing sunset
—Alan Summers
spirals of sound
like listening to a painting
flow
—Suzanne Bridgewater
Inspired by the paintings
from the lighthouse
how far we travelled
for the endless blue
—Paul Hickey
first day of summer
yellow rosettes
in the cart horse’s mane
—Katie Montagna
haymaking
I sit alone
honing my scythe
—Barry George
blue faded fields
a harvest mouse
caught in the hay fork
—Julie Mellor
hazy silhouette
evening breeze shifting
dark shadows
—Iliyana Stoyanova
Altogether, it was a fruitful gathering, bringing poets together in a spirit of creative sharing and exploration. The event offered an engaging exchange of poems, with participants responding generously and imaginatively to the prompts.
On behalf of the BHS Committee I would like to extend my warmest thanks to all participants. Looking forward to seeing you in future events!
Write-up by Iliyana Stoyanova