How to move through a broken world?

“copper-tinged waves” is an 8x10 mixed media collage made with paper, acrylic paint, colored pencil and glue on cradled wood. A greeting card version reads, “take heart.” © Annette Makino 2025

Although I try to stay connected with my readers, I haven’t written you in close to three months. The truth is, with all the upheaval in the world these days, it has been hard to know what to say.

On the one hand, I know I’m not obligated to say anything about the news—no one really expects artists and poets to analyze the political events of the day. Somehow the New York Times still hasn’t phoned for my take on the war in Iran! On the other hand, it seems oblivious at best to chatter about my creative projects and my happy little life while the regime is locking up children and murdering US citizens in broad daylight.

How to navigate these dystopian times? I know many of us attend protests.* We’ve got our reps on speed dial. We donate to help people in Gaza, Ukraine, Minnesota. We stay informed as best we can without drowning in the horrors of the day. Yet faced with the shocking cruelty and corruption of this administration, it never feels like enough.

Still, I take heart from these words by Rabbi Rami Shapiro, interpreting a part of the Talmud: “Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief . . . You are not expected to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”

Under an administration that stokes fear and hatred of “the other,” I believe that connection, creative expression, and celebration are all forms of this work. Whether it’s taking in a beach sunset, writing a poem or petting a stranger’s dog, joy is an act of resistance.

copper-tinged waves
trying to fit the ocean
into my camera

One spark of joy: I have been writing a children’s book about the 1885 expulsion of the Chinese community from the nearby town of Eureka, California. The story centers on a real nine-year old girl named Yung and her beloved tuxedo cat, Miu Miu, who are forced from their home in Eureka’s Chinatown and shipped to San Francisco.

To work out some book details, we toured the site of Eureka’s historic Chinatown.

I’m working closely with Humboldt Asians and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity (HAPI) under a grant from the California Coastal Commission. The book, as yet untitled, is due to be published this fall by The Press at Cal Poly Humboldt. Doubtless this will be one of their less scholarly works, but it will include about ten pages of background material with historical context. And how many academic tomes can offer a cute cat?

The book will be used in local schools, especially fourth grade classes, to teach about this dark chapter in California’s history. Yukari Mishima, a talented Japanese artist whose style reminds me of Hayao Miyazaki, is creating the beautiful illustrations. And the Humboldt County Office of Education is designing an accompanying curriculum.

I’ve spent a lifetime writing and editing, from three-line haiku to multimillion dollar grants. But I’ve never written historical fiction for children before, so this is all new territory for me—a sometimes challenging and ultimately rewarding process. It’s a gift to collaborate with goodhearted people on such a meaningful creative project. May the story of Yung and Miu Miu help shed light on the racism and injustice that is still so present today—and help us see our common humanity.

moth holes
the part of the world
I can mend

all the best, Annette

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Makino Studios News

15th anniversary sale: Makino Studios celebrates its 15th anniversary this month! When I launched my art biz in March 2011, I had no idea whether it would last. In thanks for your support, I’m offering 15% off all cards, prints, books and calendars in the shop till midnight this Sunday, March 8. Enter code 15YEARS at checkout.

Hanging out with haiku master Basho in Tokyo, October 2025.

In Basho’s Footsteps: This Saturday, March 7 at 11 a.m. Pacific, I’m giving a presentation to the Yuki Teikei Society on my recent walking tour in Japan of the 1689 journey by the famed haiku poet Basho. I’ll share photos, haiku and art. You are invited to attend and sign in as a guest (the first few minutes will include some organization business). This presentation will not be recorded. Click here to join the Zoom. Meeting ID: 818 4373 6721

Museum of Haiku Literature Award: I’m honored that the following poem was chosen as the best haiku of the Autumn 2025 issue of Frogpond, the journal of the Haiku Society of America:

milkweed leaf
a butterfly sheds
its deadname

Touchstone Awards: Since January I have served on the panel of five judges for this contest sponsored by The Haiku Foundation. The Touchstone Award for Individual Poems is considered a premier honor for English-language haiku, and the judging process is very thoughtfully designed. The winning poems will appear on The Haiku Foundation website starting April 3.

Art show at the library: The Arcata branch of the Humboldt County Library has invited me to show my art there in April and May. The show will feature a range of mixed media pieces including some haiga (art with haiku). And probably some cute cats!

*No Kings: The next nationwide protest is No Kings on March 28—it may well be the largest one-day protest in US history!

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Haiku publication credits:
“copper-tinged waves” - Kingfisher, Spring 2024
“moth holes” - The Heron’s Nest, March 2026

A Celebration of Asian American Culture

“Forest Hush” is 24” x 18,” made of found papers, Japanese washi papers, acrylic paint, crayon and matte medium on canvas. It is part of a group art show at the Morris Graves Museum of Art through June 8. © Annette Makino 2025

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Especially for folks in Humboldt County California, I wanted to let you know about four special events celebrating the local Asian and Pacific islander community this weekend.

I’m honored to be part of two events at the Morris Graves Museum of Art: a group art show (artist reception 6-9 p.m. this Saturday) and a poetry reading (2 p.m. this Sunday). More details below. Hope to see you there!

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A Weekend Celebrating Asian American Culture in Humboldt

Eureka, CA – The community is invited to a weekend of festive and thought-provoking events honoring Asian American culture and history in Humboldt County. Running Friday, May 2 through Sunday, May 4, these activities include the Eureka Chinatown Street Festival, an original opera about the Eureka Chinatown expulsion, an art show by a dozen Humboldt artists of Asian descent, and a poetry reading by six local Asian American poets.

Most of the events are free and family-friendly. They are taking place as part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Eureka Chinatown Street Festival

The Fourth Annual Eureka Chinatown Street Festival - Year of the Snake will take place on Saturday, May 3 in Eureka, CA during Arts Alive. This free and family-friendly event hosted by Humboldt Asians & Pacific Islanders in Solidarity (HAPI) will feature traditional and contemporary Asian dance and music performances, food and art vendors, and fun activities for all ages.

Lion Dancers from San Francisco will perform a traditional Chinese ritual intended to bring good fortune and drive away evil spirits; they will bless businesses from 4-6 p.m. in Old Town. Cultural performances will take place from 6-9 p.m. in front of the Clarke Historical Museum. Performers will include the Lion Dancers, Humboldt Taiko (a traditional Japanese drumming group), the Humboldt Lao Dancers, and the White Lotus Dance Group. This year the event features a condensed version of the opera “Echoes of Eureka”—see below.

HAPI began the Chinatown Street Festival in May of 2021 to honor the historic Eureka Chinatown and celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The Eureka Chinatown Project (ECP) is an initiative of HAPI to reclaim and honor the history and culture of the historic Chinese community in Humboldt while raising awareness of the local Chinese expulsion events and the federal and state exclusionary acts that shaped society today. By educating the local community, HAPI hopes to heal and move towards a more inclusive and just future.

“Echoes of Eureka” opera about the Eureka Chinatown expulsion

Eric Tuan conducts the Piedmont Children’s Choir in “Echoes of Eureka,” an opera about the 1885 Eureka Chinatown expulsion.

Conductor and composer Eric Tuan has composed a new choral opera, “Echoes of Eureka,” about the 1885 expulsion and resistance of the Chinese community in Eureka. Some thirty youth from the Piedmont East Bay Children’s choir will perform this short opera three times during the weekend:

• “Echoes of Eureka” will premiere on Friday, May 2 at 7 p.m. at Cal Poly Humboldt in the Native Forum. Admission is free and open to the public.

• A shortened version will be performed in the evening of Saturday, May 3 during the Chinatown Street Festival in front of the Clarke Museum in Old Town Eureka.

• At 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 4, the choir will perform the opera in the rotunda at the Morris Graves Museum of Art. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for seniors and students with ID and free for children 17 and under as well as museum members.

Based in the San Francisco Bay area, Eric Tuan is committed to joyful and inclusive music-making at the highest level and to telling vital, relevant stories through song. He currently serves as the Artistic Director of the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir and conductor of Stanford University’s Early Music Singers.

Ten Thousand Gates: A Celebration of Humboldt Asian American Artists

Ten Thousand Gates: A Celebration of Humboldt Asian American Artists features the work of twelve local artists of Asian descent: Karla Kaizoji Austin, Cate Be, Jeremy Hara, Ted Hsu, the late Suk Choo Kim, Ali Lee, Thao Le Khac, Amy Leon, Annette Makino, Yoshiko Skelton, Amy Uyeki and Libby Yee.

A dozen local Asian American artists are joining forces for a group show at the Morris Graves Museum of Art, with an opening during Arts Alive on Saturday, May 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. Titled Ten Thousand Gates: A Celebration of Humboldt Asian American Artists, the exhibition will run from April 26 to June 8.

The show title refers to the idea that those of Asian descent who live in Humboldt County straddle different cultures. There is an infinite variety of ways that artists express that complex reality; countless gates that connect those worlds.

The art ranges from traditional landscapes to contemporary street art. Aged 36 to 92, the participating artists work in various media and techniques including Chinese brush painting, ceramics, photography, spray paint, objects found in nature, airbrush, collage and digital art.

The artists are Karla Kaizoji Austin, Cate Be, Jeremy Hara, Ted Hsu, the late Suk Choo Kim, Ali Lee, Thao Le Khac, Amy Leon, Annette Makino, Yoshiko Skelton, Amy Uyeki and Libby Yee. The artists will be on hand during Arts Alive May 3 and will be happy to discuss their work and chat with visitors.

The museum will also feature an “East Meets West” concert during Arts Alive that evening featuring Silk Road Junction 101 with Fortuna-native Sarah McClimon on flute, harmonium and the koto, a Japanese string instrument, and Rahman Abdur on the South Asian tabla drums. Jazz pianist Noah Rahman will also perform.

Admission is free during Arts Alive. Other days, admission is $5 for adults, $2 for seniors and students with ID and free for children 17 and under as well as museum members. The museum is run by the Humboldt Arts Council.

Ink to Paper: A Reading by Asian American Poets of Humboldt

Ink to Paper: A Reading by Asian American Poets of Humboldt will feature original poetry by six poets, plus art slides. Top row, left to right: Annette Makino, Mark Shikuma, Shizue Harada (her poems will be read by her granddaughter Amy Uyeki). Bottom row, left to right: Daryl Ngee Chinn, Libby Yee, Tony Wallin-Sato.

In the first event of its kind for Humboldt, poets from the local Asian American community will gather for a joint reading of their work at the Morris Graves Museum of Art in Eureka on Sunday, May 4 at 2 p.m. following the “Echoes of Eureka” performance.

Ink to Paper: A Reading by Asian American Poets of Humboldt will feature poetry drawn from very different backgrounds, from the Zen-infused poems of incarceration and healing by Tony Wallin-Sato, to the tales of complex family and heritage dynamics by Mark Shikuma, to the verses from a long and eclectic life by Daryl Ngee Chinn.

Art slides will accompany three of the presentations: Annette Makino will show Asian-inspired collages that include her haiku; Libby Yee will share Chinese brush paintings along with her poems; and Amy Uyeki will screen artwork she created to accompany poems by her late grandmother, Shizue Harada, who came to the US from Japan in an arranged marriage in the 1920s. Ali Lee will serve as emcee and Kumi Watanabe will read Shizue Harada’s short poems in the original Japanese.

Books by some of the poets will be available for sale. Museum admission is $5 for adults; $2 for seniors (age 65 and over) and students with ID; children 17 and under free; museum members are free.

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Makino Studios News

Annette Makino gives the keynote speech on writing haiku at the ukiaHaiku Festival in Ukiah, CA on April 27, 2025.

ukiaHaiku Festival wrap-up: Last Sunday’s event was a lot of fun! I gave a well-received keynote about my haiku journey, the elements of effective haiku, haiku-related forms and why we write haiku. Held at the Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah, CA, this festival included shakuhachi flute and a musical interlude with the Uketones. People of all ages and walks of life shared their haiku.

Open Studios: After several years off, I will be able to share my art and process during the 25th anniversary of North Coast Open Studios. I’ll be joining half a dozen international artists-in-residence plus local artists at Creekside Arts in Freshwater, CA on the second weekend, June 14-15.  

Mother’s Day and graduation: Mother’s Day is coming up on Sunday, May 11. Cal Poly Humboldt commencement is Saturday, May 17, and local high schools hold graduation in mid-June. See my card collection and local stores for these occasions and others.

Travel plans: I will be on vacation May 20 to June 8, and Makino Studios orders will go out more slowly while I’m gone. Sorry for the inconvenience!