Many thanks to the Poetics Lab for working with us to present HOMES Haiku poetry contest. We secured 56 submissions from all across Michigan and couldn't be happier. Winners were selected 5, 7, 5 in a blind reading and are listed below. Top 5 were awarded $50 each and have their haiku posted on yard signs around the Alpena's downtown. Notable 7 were awarded $25 each and have signs around Alpena as well. We are also happy to share the 5 Honorable Mentions.
Under the water
old decaying forgotten
shipwrecked I've become
Oh Mother Huron
angry, frigid, warm and wise
your moods become you
On its shore she stood
anxious to braid its gold waves
with her long blue limbs
Table salt under
rust factories in the cold.
This is how we eat.
Rocky arrow path.
This way to a Huron dream.
Lake turns into sky.
Moonlit lake charms cast
Witches weave their magic spells
Michigan's dark glow
Great golden sand dunes
gulls calling in the distance
yellow flowers bloom.
Infinite quintet
Dances with wind and water
Balancing the fire
Ripples, waves breaking
against reflections of stars—
I reach out for you
Waves hum on soft shores
New roots in shifting sand bloom
Beauty, I drift, too.
A stone eye will spy
What little peninsulas
And sharp shorelines hide
Crystal lakes gleam bright
Breezes weave through tall pine trees
Nature’s breath flows free
I can't yield my grief
sunset shines Lake Huron's tide
answers "not just yet."
Wistful memories
Rhythmic waves and dancing grass
Sun and clouds astound
Lake Huron storming
Waves crashing, lightning in sky
Echoes untamed souls
Ice sculptures uplift
on rocky Great Lakes shoreline—
phantom shadows dance
Vibrancy fuels light
As Dawn crests the water’s edge
And gentle waves sing.
north45east is our flagship author reading event.
Susan Lane Foundation is fortunate to have connected with amazing writers from across Michigan willing to travel "up north" to share their original, often award-winning work with our community at Alpena's premiere gallery, Art in the Loft.
Many thanks to readers over the years: Robert Fanning, Dennis Hinrichsen, David James, Christina Kallery, Alison Swan, Linda Nemec Foster, Patricia Clark, Marc Sheehan, Christine Rhein and Keith Taylor.
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.