After careful consideration, SLF has made the difficult decision to forego the north45east reading this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We feel this decision is in the best interest of everyone's health and safety. We look forward to coming back strong in 2021.
Stay safe out there.
Enjoy the following haiku selected for this year's Heritage Haiku contest. Haiku signs were placed around Alpena Thanksgiving weekend and at the 2019 north45east reading. Look for them again next fall during the 2020 Discovery Tour.
oh the bark of trees
thatched delicate as paper
poems of Earths' breath
the great inland sea
pounds its weight against the shore -
a heartbeat of life
Gadwells crashing waves
roiled weeds in feeding time
southern winds calling
azure canopy
sun bright fair breeze lone sailor
head up jeweled bay
early spring morning
light hammered the lake copper
willow weeping green
The Susan Lane Foundation (SLF) was co-founded by siblings Anne Bastow Heraghty and Joe Bastow in 2013. Its goal is to create and highlight literary events in Northeast Michigan. SLF is committed to honoring community support, growing opportunities for individuals to find their voice, and to celebrating the written word through performance, readings and shared appreciation.
Susan Lane Bastow, for whom the foundation is named, is the late aunt of the co-founders. She was an artist and a founding member of Art in the Loft in downtown Alpena. Though her primary medium was photography, she explored compositions in a variety of forms: quilting, sewing, graphic arts, writing, food and music. She was accepting, enc
Susan Lane Bastow, for whom the foundation is named, is the late aunt of the co-founders. She was an artist and a founding member of Art in the Loft in downtown Alpena. Though her primary medium was photography, she explored compositions in a variety of forms: quilting, sewing, graphic arts, writing, food and music. She was accepting, encouraging, tenacious. It was through her lens that many aspired to pursue the arts. Her passionate commitment to self-expression and tireless support of venues where the arts can be celebrated serves as the inspiration for the foundation's mission.