Michelle Hyatt has been spending time with haiku since 2014. She appreciates the depth and mystery haiku carry, and how they create a space for her to tune into the senses; to feel, and feel, and then feel some more.

 

Michelle writes haiku for the simple, sheer, creative pleasure. It is truly one of her greatest joys, having also brought healing, growth and friendship. Her haibun, haiku and renku have appeared in the International Women's Haiku Festival, Contemporary Haibun Online, Modern Haiku, Frogpond and Under the Basho, and the international publications Yanty's Butterfly: Haiku Nook: An Anthology and Half a Rainbow: Haiku Nook: An Anthology.

 

Soulcraft is expressed in many of Michelle's passions, some of which include reading, painting and drawing, creating Nature arts and crafts, gardening, running, archery, paddleboarding and kayaking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, playing guitar and the frame drum, singing and dancing, yoga and other forms of meditation, and spending time with family and friends.

 

Michelle is a certified health and wellness coach, yoga and meditation teacher. She lives in breath-taking Northern Ontario, Canada with her devoted husband, brilliant children, and gorgeous dog.

 

"This is how you change the world, the smallest circles first… That humble energy, the kind that says, ‘I will do what I can do right now in my own small way,’ creates a ripple effect on the world."

 

~ Richard Wagamese, One Drum: Stories and Ceremonies for a Planet

 

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Jacob Salzer has been writing haiku and related forms since 2006, when he took a haiku class at The Evergreen State College: The Way of Haiku and Haibun taught by Kate Crow. Since that time, Jacob has published his haiku, tanka, and haibun in numerous journals, and has published 4 collections of haiku, 1 collection of tanka, 1 collection of haibun, and 1 collection of longer poems, The Last Days of Winter.

 

Jacob served as the managing editor of two Haiku Nook anthologies: Yanty’s Butterfly (dedicated to haiku poet Yanty Tjiam) and Half A Rainbow (dedicated to haiku poet Rachel Sutcliffe). Jacob is also an active member of the Portland Haiku Group, where he served as the managing editor of the Portland Haiku Group anthology, New Bridges, dedicated to haiku poet Johnny Baranski. He is currently editing another Haiku Nook international haiku anthology, Desert Rain.

 

Jacob enjoys spending time with his friends and family and has several interests, including: painting, drawing, photography, music, poetry, meditation, exercise, nutrition, neurobiology, medical coding, reading, editing, professional networking, and social activism. As a musician, he enjoys playing piano, guitar and tabla drums from India. He frequently utilizes the Americans of Conscience checklist to advocate for a better U.S. and world. Inspired by the Great Seal of the United States, E Pluribus Unum, a latin phrase that translates to: Out of Many, One, Jacob values respect and diversity, and is dedicated to creating new bridges and community in a world that far too often appears violent and fragmented.

 

Jacob frequently writes about water and his favorite color is blue. His newest collection, Mare Liberum is a cumulation of his haiku and tanka inspired by water and the sea.