Paul Conneally

Paul Terence Conneally (born 1959 in Sheffield, United Kingdom) is a poet, artist and musician based in Loughborough, UK.

In the field of poetry Conneally is best known for his haiku and haiku-related forms including haibun and renga/renku. His definition of haibun is quoted among others on the Contemporary Haibun Online website. He ran the Haikumania Project, (hosted on the website of The Center for Digital Discourse and Culture at Virginia Tech) where some of his work and others is showcased.

Known for collaborative works based on Japanese renga, he has been published and translated. Conneally's projects include hypertext works resulting out of actions initiated by Conneally and others via the internet and in the real world. Conneally's work in bringing linked haikai based works to the internet is mentioned in Currents in Electronic Literacy Fall 2001.

Conneally leads live renga sessions across the UK and has explored the form and process alongside other UK artist poets including Alec Finlay, Gavin Wade, Gerry Loose and Anne-Marie Culhane.

In 2002, Conneally was the director of the first Global Haiku Tournament which was organised by the World Haiku Club. The Japan Times sponsored and presented awards to winners

Conneally is associated with the modern Situationist movement through psychogeography, social intervention and literary detournement, both alone and in collaboration with others. This often involves making art in people's local environment, such as encouraging the creation of haiku or renga whilst walking, a modern take on the ginko or 'haiku walk' common in Japan or making poems in and about parts of the local cityscape, and adding them to the environment. Along with Finlay and Culhane, Conneally experiments with renga to produce psychogeographic maps that incorporate haiku and other poetic texts.

Conneally has been described by the Embassy of Japan in the UK as an "experienced expert" in the field of haiku and led haiku workshops for teachers on behalf of the embassy and Japan 21.

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