Consuming too much social media is like eating movie popcorn: it leaves you feeling full and slightly sick but not well-nourished. So at the beginning of the year, I made a vow to write a haiku before I check social media or play Words With Friends.

It’s an aggravating rule at times, especially when I’m tired or scattered and just want to rest my brain and do some mindless scrolling. I have not been as strict about this as I could be–sometimes a week or more goes by before I haul myself back on the wagon.

But lo and behold, I have found myself writing way more haiku and spending less time on my phone, a win-win situation. Taking a few minutes to write even a mediocre haiku helps to capture that experience and makes me more present in the moment. And it’s so much more rewarding to create something new than skim a jumble of tweets and posts.

As a bonus, while most of my haiku should never see the light of day, I’ve written a few quality poems among the debris—enough that this year I have won awards in four contests, including the prestigious Henderson and Brady awards sponsored by the Haiku Society of America. And I’ve had a number of poems accepted by the four leading journals of haiku in English. Heartfelt thanks to all the editors and judges!

Here are the fruits of my labors. And if I haven’t been responding to your social media posts, tasty as they may be, now you know why!

to lead a life
of such purpose… 
ants in a line

Harold G. Henderson Haiku Contest, Honorable Mention, 2019

semester abroad
she waves from the far side
of security

The Heron's Nest, XXI.2, June 2019

tight pink buds
the strength it takes
to forgive

Haiku Invitational, Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, Honorable Mention, United States, 2019

petrichor
threading my way
through earthworms

ukiaHaiku Festival, Dori Anderson Award, Second Place, 2019

mountain switchbacks
a turkey vulture
considers our odds

Acorn, Number 43, Fall 2019

graduation
a flock of caps
takes flight

Modern Haiku, Issue 50.1, Autumn 2019

his graduation
giving the advice
I wish I’d taken

Frogpond, Volume 42:2, Spring/Summer 2019

beach umbrella
all day the orbit
of its shadow

The Heron's Nest, XXI.3, Sept. 2019

swaying branches
finding the places
where we connect

Modern Haiku, Volume 50.1, Winter-Spring 2019

to love this body
just as it is
twisted shore pines

Frogpond, Volume 42:3, Fall 2019

holiday letter
the stories we choose
not to tell

Gerald Brady Memorial Senryu Contest, Third Place, 2019

snowstorm outage
the perfect silence
of our appliances

Modern Haiku, Issue 50.2, Summer 2019

telephone pole
the woodpecker still using
Morse code

A Moment’s Longing, Haiku Society of America Members’ Anthology, 2019

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Makino Studios News

Free shipping: I now offer free first-class shipping on US retail orders of $35 or more. Use code FREESHIP35 at checkout.

New art prints: I’ve got some new 11x14 prints on offer. These are all stamped with my red name seal and signed.

New boxed holiday notecards: Check out these sweet new holiday notecards!

2020 calendar: The 2020 mini-calendar of art and haiku is available online and in selected stores. These make great holiday gifts, and I’ve already had customers buying them ten at a time!

Made in Humboldt fair: You can find my calendars, prints and boxed notecards at the “Made in Humboldt” event at Pierson Garden Shop in Eureka, CA, Tuesday, Nov. 12 through Tuesday, Dec. 24.

Holiday Fair: I am doing just one in-person fair this holiday season: mark your calendar for the Holiday Craft Market, Dec. 14-15 in the Arcata Community Center in Arcata, CA. 

Raffle: Congratulations to Lynnette Chen, who won $40 in Makino Studios store credit at the North Country Fair raffle!

Staying connected: True confession—I am still very much on social media! I regularly share art, works in progress, haiku, Makino Studios news and photos of my day. We can stay connected through Instagram, Facebook or Twitter through the links below.