Glimmers in the dark

“touch of frost” is an 11x14 mixed media collage made with paper and paint on cradled wood. This is part of my 2026 calendar. A version of boxed holiday notecards reads “joy to the world.” © Annette Makino 2025

I must admit, these short, dark days are hard to take. Being more of a night owl, I miss part of the limited daylight we get in the mornings, then feel shocked and cheated when twilight approaches before 5 p.m. So unfair! 

How to cope? I try to appreciate merino wool sweaters, flannel sheets, and our wood-burning stove. And ignore the fact that spring is still months away—in fact, it’s not even officially winter yet! Still, it’s cold, dark and damp, and I struggle.

otter dusk
what’s left of the light
slips downstream

But it turns out that the worst is already behind us: yesterday saw the earliest sunset of the year here, at 4:48 p.m. From today on, the days will feel longer even though the winter solstice is not until December 21. So hurray for the return of the light!

I’m finding that the best way to make my way through this hard-to-love season is to look for glimmers of joy. Last Thursday my husband, son and I went tide pooling during a ridiculously beautiful sunset (see below), which we would have missed had the sun set after dinner. 

Sunset at Houda Point in Trinidad, CA, during a minus tide. December 2025.  Photo: Annette Makino

a cormorant air-dries its wings

         sea-washed stones

Saturday night we took part in Arts Alive, a monthly cornucopia of local art and music during which Paul and I  got to join our old choir for a few songs. Sunday we watched a fun play featuring an evil sock puppet orc who sings a hilarious but poignant solo. On Monday morning I taught a haiku workshop to a class of surprisingly engaged high school sophomores who impressed me with their creativity.

Holiday season brings the special pleasures of gathering with family, friends and community. This coming weekend, I’m looking forward to having a Makino Studios booth at the Arcata Holiday Craft Fair. As my only in-person event this season, this is a rare chance to meet face-to-face with my customers and to hear their stories. That is a key part of what keeps me going in my art biz.

However winter hits you, here’s wishing you bright glimmers to celebrate in this dark season. Happy holidays!

touch of frost
the dog smiling
from nose to tail

warmly, Annette Makino

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Happy merry holidays!

Makino Studios News

Free shipping: Use promo code HOLIDAY2025 at checkout for free shipping on all Makino Studios orders, no minimum. Good for first-class shipping within the U.S. One promo code per order. Promotion ends at midnight this Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025.

2026 mini-calendars: Small calendars of art and haiku make great holiday gifts! They feature 12 colorful Asian-inspired collages with my original haiku. $12 each.

Cards: Holiday, birthday, sympathy or everyday  . . . right now there are around 80 Makino Studios card designs to choose from. I also have notecard sets, including holiday designs.

Water and Stone: My award-winning book of art and haiku includes 50 watercolor paintings with my original poems. Cost is $25. I will sign them on request—just send me an email after you order. 

Holiday shipping: The US Postal Service advises that to ensure that packages arrive by Dec. 25, they should be shipped by Dec. 17.

Arcata Holiday Craft Market: Featuring food, music, and local vendors, this festive fair takes place 10 to 5 on Saturday, Dec. 13 and 10 to 4 on Sunday, Dec. 14 at the Arcata Community Center in Arcata, CA. Look for the Makino Studios booth on the lefthand side of the main room. This will be my only in-person event this season. Admission is a $2 donation benefiting the Youth Development Scholarship Fund.

Made in Humboldt fair: The “Made in Humboldt” event at Pierson Garden Shop in Eureka, CA runs through Dec. 24. There are more some 300 local vendors; Makino Studios items include my 2026 calendars, books, prints and boxed notecards.

CREDITS: “otter dusk” - Acorn, Fall 2025; “a cormorant” - Nowhere Else: Haiku North America 2025 Anthology, Eds. Michael Dylan Welch and Chuck Brickley, Press Here, 2025; “touch of frost” - 2026 in Art and Haiku, Annette Makino, 2025

On grateful wings

This mixed media collage, “evening rays,” is 11×14, made with acrylic paint, paper, pen and glue on cradled wood. © Annette Makino 2025

Happy Thanksgiving! Isn’t is amazing that we have a whole holiday dedicated to gratitude? (With a side of cranberry sauce.) There’s so much I’m grateful for, but a key element is the sense of purpose I gain from my Makino Studios work. It turns out that being an artist and poet doesn’t bring in the big bucks—who knew?! But unlike hedge fund managers, I get to regularly hear from people how much my offerings touch them.

This weekend a friend told me that one of my cards was perfect for a difficult situation: her brother is in his last weeks in hospice. Another wrote that she was so moved by a poem that she sent it on to family and friends. And there are hundreds of people who make a point of giving my haiku calendar to friends, family, book club members, caregivers and coworkers every year. It means so much to have that impact as an artist and poet. Your support helps my dreams take wing, so thank you all!

Today I’m sharing my process for the mixed media collage of a blue heron shown above. This haiga (art + haiku) appears in my 2026 mini-calendar, with a poem inspired by a late afternoon on the Klamath River:

evening rays
the driftwood stick
spreads its wings

There is a card version reading “may your dreams take wing.” Enjoy this season of gratitude!

I rolled blue paint on my gel press, created texture with a stiff, dry paintbrush, then placed and smoothed a sheet of rice paper on top.

One of my reference images for the art helped guide my choices of colors and shapes.

NEW! blue heron art card for graduations, birthdays and life changes (473)

$5.00

I needed to make collage papers that could work for the heron wings. I painted the water right on the wood panel with blue, black and silver acrylics.

My studio in process as I decided which papers to use.

Considering where to place the heron—and soon realizing it looked way too chubby!

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Makino Studios News

Thanksgiving sale: Use promo code THANKS25 at checkout for 15% off everything in the Makino Studios shop except original art. Good for first-class shipping within the U.S. One promo code per order. Sale ends at midnight this Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025.

Arcata Holiday Craft Market: Featuring food, music, and local vendors, this festive fair takes place 10 to 5 on Saturday, Dec. 13 and 10 to 4 Sunday, Dec. 14 at the Arcata Community Center in Arcata, CA. Look for the Makino Studios booth on the lefthand side of the main room. This will be my only in-person event this season. Admission is a $2 donation benefiting the Youth Development Scholarship Fund.

Made in Humboldt fair: The “Made in Humboldt” event at Pierson Garden Shop in Eureka, CA runs through Dec. 24. There are 250 local vendors; Makino Studios items include my 2026 calendars, books, prints and boxed notecards.

2026 mini-calendars: Small calendars of art and haiku make great holiday gifts! They feature 12 colorful Asian-inspired collages with my original haiku. $12 each.

Water and Stone: My award-winning book of art and haiku includes 50 watercolor paintings with my original poems. Cost is $25. You can find it online here, and I will sign it on request—just send me an email after you order. 

Cards: Holiday, birthday, sympathy or everyday… right now there are more than 80 Makino Studios card designs to choose from. I also have ten different notecard sets, including several holiday designs.

Art prints: Blake’s Books in McKinleyville, CA carries a selection of my matted art prints, ready for gifting. They are among the local stores that carry my books, calendars, notecards and single cards.

Holiday shipping: The US Postal Service advises that to ensure that packages arrive by Dec. 25, they should be shipped by Dec. 17.

Thanks: I appreciate all the responses on my last post, “Three Wayfarers in Japan,” and love it when someone takes the time to write. I read and answer every message. You can read past posts on my blog.

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Credit: The haiku “evening rays” was first published in Bee Here Now: The Haiku Foundation Volunteer Anthology 2024

Sizzling summer haiku

sun-striped path
the forest’s outbreath
fills our lungs

This mixed media collage is 11×14, made with paper, acrylic paint, charcoal, crayon, ink and glue on cradled wood. A birthday card version reads, “happy birthday—may you grow many more rings.” © Annette Makino 2023

Today is sunny, but through the weekend, the clouds hung on till afternoon, and I was chilly enough to wear a wool sweater. Here on the Northern California coast, we have entered the month of Fogust. In our cool and damp micro-clime, so perfect for redwoods, locals are amazed by the temperature if it reaches 70 degrees.

But having lived near Ukiah, CA as a teen and visited family often since, I know a little about triple-digit heat. Today I’m sharing a haiku sequence that I wrote on a recent trip there.

By the way, while traditional haiku are supposed to convey the season, there are lots of ways to do that without stating it directly. This sequence only uses the word “summer” once, but you’ll see that there are many creative ways to imply it.

Today I’m also featuring two collage haiga (art with haiku) that were inspired by my time in beautiful Mendocino County.

Heat Wave

weathered fence posts
resting on the wire
meadowlark song

This mixed media collage is 8×10, made with paper, acrylic paint, crayon, ink and glue on cradled wood. © Annette Makino 2023

English Breakfast
a real scorcher
gathers steam

record highs
the weather map
blazing

wildfire season
the first clothes I hung
tinder-dry

and the seasons . . .
turning the fan
to summer mode

heat haze
a hummingbird
fans the air

ninety in the shade
a glass of iced tea
sweating

cherry pits
stud the bear scat
exposed trail

the day’s heat
still rising from the stones
the whoosh of bats

first stars
we open every window
to let in the night

Whether yours is foggy and damp or sunny and dry, I hope you’re enjoying the summer!

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Makino Studios News

Free shipping this week: Your Makino Studios order ships free through Sunday, August 10 with code SIZZLE25. Enter the code at checkout. No minimum order. US addresses only.

This haiga, painted with sumi ink and Japanese watercolors on paper, appears in Water and Stone: Ten Years of Art and Haiku, Annette Makino, Makino Studios, 2021.

2026 calendar focus group: I’m working away on the collages for my 2026 mini-calendar of art and haiku! I could use some input on which image to use for the cover. If you’re interested in getting a sneak peek online and voting on the contestants, please reply to this email. And if you were part of last year’s focus group, I’ll include you again. Thanks!

Haiku 21.2: I’m honored to have the following haiku in Haiku 21.2, a new anthology of contemporary haiku in English, published by Modern Haiku Press:

October sun
the sky the color
of forever

Haiku North America: This biannual conference will be held in San Francisco September 24-28. I’m excited to attend HNA for the first time! Registration is still open for anyone interested in haiku.

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“Heat Wave” was published in Frogpond, 48.2, Spring/Summer 2025

A haikupalooza for Haiku Poetry Day

Today, April 17, is International Haiku Poetry Day, which falls in the middle of National Poetry Month. As it happens, I have four upcoming public events focused on poetry and art: a haiku festival, an art opening, a poetry reading and an open studios weekend. All very exciting—see below for dates and deets!

Every day last month, the Mann Library Daily Haiku site at Cornell University featured one of my haiku, selected by editor Tom Clausen. To celebrate Haiku Poetry Day, here are a dozen of my favorites. You can read all 31 poems here along with publication credits.

“maybe we too” is an 11x14 mixed media collage made with paper, acrylic paint, ink, colored pencil and glue on cradled birch panel. © Annette Makino 2024

for better or for worse
our lights and darks
tumbling together

home from errands—
a hero’s welcome
from the dog

our easy silence
every puddle
sky-deep

fog-shrouded coast
we listen
to the view

art studio
a full day’s work
under my nails

hunger moon
a descendent of wolves
licks our plates

lights out—
we discuss
our extinction

maybe I too
have softened with age
moss-covered stones

long before language the S of the river

cowlick
some part of me
still wild

what remains
of the mountain
sand between my toes

redwood time
the steady journey
from earth to sky

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Makino Studios News

ukiaHaiku Festival: The 23rd annual ukiaHaiku Festival takes place on Sunday, April 27, 2-4 p.m. at the Grace Hudson Museum’s Wild Gardens in Ukiah, CA. I’m honored to be the keynote speaker this year, a cool twist for a Ukiah High grad! The organizers write, “Join us to celebrate Ukiah’s palindrome with readings of past haiku contest winners from various local luminaries followed by an all-ages open mic for those who wish to read a haiku of their choosing.” It’s free and open to the public. I’ll have a Makino Studios table with some books, calendars, prints and cards.

A dozen artists ages 36 to 92 will show their work at “Ten Thousand Gates - A Humboldt Celebration of Asian Artists.”

Ten Thousand Gates - A Humboldt Celebration of Asian Artists: This art show at the Morris Graves Museum of Art in Eureka, CA will feature a dozen local artists of Asian descent. The show opens during Arts Alive on Saturday, May 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. The exhibition runs April 26 to June 8. The art ranges from traditional landscapes to contemporary street art. Techniques include Chinese brush painting, ceramics, photography, spray paint, junk art, 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.

Six poets will share their work at “Ink to Paper - A Reading by Asian American Poets of Humboldt.”

Ink to Paper - A Reading by Asian American Poets of Humboldt: This is the first public reading by poets from our local Asian American community. The event will take place at the Morris Graves Museum of Art in Eureka, CA on Sunday, May 4 at 2 p.m. Poets include Tony Wallin-Sato, Mark Shikuma, Daryl Ngee Chinn, Annette Makino, Libby Yee and Amy Uyeki reading poems by her grandmother, Shizue Harada. Three of us will show slides of our art with the poems.  

Asian and Pacific American Month: The art show and reading are among several Humboldt County events in May held in conjunction with Asian and Pacific American month. See the Humboldt Asians and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity (HAPI) site for details. Events also include a chorale opera about the Eureka Chinatown expulsion and a Chinatown street festival. 

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 for these occasions and others.

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

Free shipping: I offer free US shipping on orders of $35 or more. Just enter promo code FREESHIP35 at checkout.  

In memory of my mother

“the shape of a life” is 11x14, made of acrylic paint, paper and glue on cradled wood. The original has sold but the image is available as a greeting card and is also part of the Makino Studios 2025 calendar.

My beloved mother, Erika Makino, passed away a month ago at age 96. I was by her bedside, holding her hand, and my two sisters had been with her in recent days and hours.

From growing up in Switzerland during World War II to traveling the world, teaching special education, writing stories and making art, my mom led a fascinating life, as described in her obituary. Also see “An Adventurous Spirit,” a much longer version of her life story with more photos.

I’m learning that no matter how old you are and no matter how inevitable it seemed, it is still really hard to lose your mom. Who else could love you like your own mother? It was not always easy to grow up as the child of a free spirit: money was tight, and somehow we were always moving. By age 16 I had lived in three countries, eleven cities and 20 homes, including two stints in campgrounds. But through it all, I never doubted my mom’s unconditional love for me. What a huge loss. What a huge gift.

Over the past month of mourning, I’ve found comfort in knowing that my mother led a long and full life, getting to do most everything she wanted even into her 90s. And she had the kind of death we all wish for: at home in bed, with loved ones near, in no pain, at peace. I’m also grateful for the ability to grieve, laugh and reminisce with my sisters.

Annette Makino, left, with mother Erika Makino in Santa Barbara in 2013.

Since then my mother has visited me several times in my sleep, a loving and comforting presence. Even in scenarios that involved corpses and coffins, the dream character of my mom conveyed that these were merely the outward trappings of death, while her spirit lives beyond. Other dreams have echoed our close bond: in one I asked her if she needed anything, and she replied simply, “hug.” In another I was washing her dear face with a washcloth, very tenderly, just as I did while caregiving for her in recent years.

My mother not only gave me unconditional love, she modeled how to live an authentic life. As one of my sympathy cards reads, “those we have loved are always with us.” I am truly blessed to be my mother's daughter and to carry her in my heart.

the shape of a life
one sparkling wave
returns to the sea

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Makino Studios News

Debut in Rattle poetry journal: This month I am honored to have my first appearance in the print version of Rattle, a general poetry journal with a 0.2% acceptance rate, one of the toughest poetry journals to get into. My haibun (prose with haiku), “Migration,” connects the monarch butterfly stopover near one of my childhood homes to my father’s absence.

Anniversary sale: To celebrate Makino Studio’s 14th anniversary on March 18, and in thanks for your years of support, I’m offering 14% off everything in the shop through Tuesday, March 18 at midnight. Enter code 14YEARS at checkout.

Featured poet at Mann Library site: I’m pleased to have a haiku featured every day in March on the Mann Library Daily Haiku site at Cornell University, curated by Tom Clausen. You can follow along on the site daily and find work by many other terrific haiku poets in the archives.

Red Moon Anthology: A haiku sequence I wrote last year about caregiving for my mother, “Shorter Days,” is included in Telling the Bees: The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2024. I’m delighted to be included in this annual collection of the finest haiku published around the world.

Ten Thousand Gates: A Humboldt Celebration of Asian Artists: The Humboldt Arts Council will host a show by a dozen Humboldt County artists of Asian descent, including myself, at the Morris Graves Museum of Art in Eureka, CA, opening from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, May 3 during Arts Alive.

Ink to Paper: I’m organizing an accompanying poetry reading and slide show of haiga (art with haiku) by Humboldt-area Asian-American poets at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 4 at the Morris Graves. There are several other interesting Asian heritage events in Eureka in the works for that weekend; stay tuned . . .

To kneel and kiss the (soggy) ground

“this small corner” is an 8x10 mixed media collage made with paper, acrylic paint, colored pencil, ink and glue on cradled wood panel. It is part of the 2025 Makino Studios calendar of art and haiku. © Annette Makino 2024

I’m normally a pretty upbeat person, but I’ve been feeling heavy and down of late. The election results have left me grieving for the alternate future I’d hoped for and dreading the changes under the incoming regime.

election night
slowly unclasping
my pearls

Meanwhile, the bomb cyclone and atmospheric river here on the Northern California coast have kept us mostly housebound for the past week, with brave forays to jump-start the generator or take brief walks between storms.

cold winter rain
the swollen creek also
rushing home

Combined with ceaseless rain, the short, dark days of late November are not helping one bit. Who decided it was okay for the sun to set before 5 p.m.?! The daily loss of light only deepens my melancholy.

mourning dove
the ancient sorrow
in my bones

To combat this gloom, I’m making a conscious effort to focus on everything that’s still good in my part of the world. And what better time to cultivate an attitude of gratitude than Thanksgiving?

this small corner
of the universe . . .
twitching whiskers

It really helps to list all my blessings. For one, though my hair is grayer now, in many ways I feel healthier and fitter than I was fifteen or twenty years ago when I was working full-time and raising two children. Back then it was a challenge just to get dinner on the table, let alone work out and walk in nature every day. Now I take pleasure in my improving strength and balance in tricky yoga poses. And I appreciate that my legs willingly carry me for miles.

Annette Makino and husband Paul W. Blank on the Oregon Coast, October 2024.

I’m also thankful for Paul, my beloved mate of 33 years, a brilliant, funny and kind partner through weather fair or foul.

shore pines
bearded with moss
his laugh lines

We are very fortunate to have warm and easy relationships with our two adult kids. They are interesting and delightful young people who actually seem to enjoy spending time with their ancient parents (within reason). I’m also blessed with a close-knit extended family (hurray for tension-free holidays), a comfortable home and a vibrant community in a beautiful part of the world.

And I’m especially grateful for the gift of meaningful work. In the past I’ve held positions where I felt valued but not essential, meaning someone else could step in and do the same job. And the work, though worthwhile, wasn’t my personal passion. But as Chief Cook and Brush Washer at Makino Studios, I now create art and poetry that no one else could make because it is an authentic expression of my being, borne of my unique life experience.

It means even more that my art resonates for others, providing a bit of beauty and insight in a world that sorely needs both. With zero paid advertising, I sell more than 15,000 cards a year. Though that is barely a rounding error for Hallmark, I see each card as a little spark between two people, helping them express their caring for each other. My calendars, prints and books, often given as gifts, play a similar role. I’m honored to be a vehicle for those connections.

My poems also seem to speak to people: a recently published haiku sequence about losing our dog Misha, called “At the Exit,” garnered heartfelt responses from readers who took the time to email, comment on social media or tell me in person how much it meant to them.

So this season, I give special thanks to you, my supporters, for giving me a sense of purpose, for the gift of right livelihood. As the Sufi poet Rumi said, “Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Makino Studios News

Calendars, books and notecard sets are among the Makino Studios items offered at 15% off through this Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 with code THANKS2024.

Thanksgiving sale: Cards, notecard sets, calendars, books and prints are all 15% off in the shop through this Sunday at midnight. Enter discount code THANKS2024 at checkout. Good on orders of $20 or more while supplies last.

2025 calendars: For the 12th year running, my mini-calendars of haiku and art are still just $12 each (or $10.20 if you catch the Thanksgiving sale). These beautiful little calendars make great gifts for friends and family!

Notecard sets: Browse several designs of holiday and everyday notecard sets. These come eight to a box with eight kraft envelopes.

Greeting cards: You can find 70 single cards in the card section of the Makino Studios site, including some holiday designs. Note that some designs are almost sold out at the moment.

Holiday shipping deadlines: For arrival on or before December 25, please place your order no later than December 17. The mail has been slow these days, so even sooner is safer.

Made in Humboldt Fair: For Humboldt County folks, this event at Pierson Garden Shop in Eureka, CA is running now through Dec. 24. There you can find my book (Water and Stone: Ten Years of Art and Haiku), signed and matted prints, 2025 calendars and notecard sets.

Arcata Holiday Craft Market: This fair takes place Dec. 14-15 at the Arcata Community Center in Arcata, CA. This is my only in-person event this season. Look for the Makino Studios booth on the lefthand side of the main hall.

“It’s complicated”: A year ago I wrote this post about the uneasy history of Thanksgiving, which is relevant again.

Thanks: I always appreciate your feedback, whether by email, in person or on social media.

Credits: Haiku in this post were first published in tinywords, The Heron’s Nest and Wales Haiku Journal.

Finding a warm community

software update
the maple releasing
its obsolete

                       l

                            e

                                       a

                                v

                       e

                            s

“software update” is 11x14, made with acrylic paint, paper, pen and glue on cradled wood. This is a page from my 2025 calendar. A card version reads, “have a wild and crazy birthday”. © Annette Makino 2024

I had a wonderful time at the Seabeck Haiku Getaway last month! It was four days of marinating in all things haiku with fellow poets in beautiful Seabeck, Washington.

Since the conference theme was maps, I recruited my geographer husband, Paul W. Blank, to lead a “Walk on the World” session with his giant maps that show the world at 16 miles to the inch. It was great fun wandering across Eurasia in our stocking feet! Many haiku emerged from his session and others.

The schedule was packed with presentations and “Write Now” exercises, many on the theme of maps and travel. Featured guest Crystal Simone Smith shared her moving haiku inspired by 19th century fugitive slave ads; she also led us in exploring new haiku approaches.

The Seabeck Haiku Getaway always includes a kukai, a contest of haiku written at Seabeck that is judged by the participating poets. I was honored that both of my submissions placed, tying for first and sixth. Here is my first-place poem:

Geographer Paul W. Blank, far right, explains the big maps at the Seabeck Haiku Getaway in October 2024.

Tokyo alley
I run into
the moon from home

But for me, the best part of the long weekend was deepening my ties to the haiku clan. During communal mealtimes, walks in the woods and late-night socializing, I got to reconnect with poet friends and meet others I’d only known by name. Basking in this community was especially precious to me since I live far from any in-person haiku groups.

Earlier this year haiku poet P. H. (Peter) Fischer and I co-edited the conference anthology for the 2023 Seabeck Haiku Getaway. Published by Haiku Northwest, it was distributed at last month’s gathering. Winds Aloft features terrific cover art of Seabeck and six haiku comics by graphic novelist David Lasky, as well as poems by almost all of the 56 conference participants that year. Here’s one of mine inspired by the bigleaf maples at Seabeck:

the last rays of sun
offered back to the sky
yellow maple

As Peter and I wrote in the introduction, “Haiku poets are a special breed. The habit of keenly observing life’s details tends to make people more attuned, thoughtful and appreciative. Or perhaps it works the other way around. In any case, each year this unique tribe gathers at Seabeck to create a warm community of like-minded folks. In the words of physicist Douglas Hofstadter, in this kind of synergy, ‘The soul is greater than the hum of its parts.’ We appreciate everyone who added their own unique hum to the magic that is Seabeck.”

In these turbulent times, we need community more than ever. So on this, my eighth time at Seabeck, I was grateful once again to be welcomed into the fold.

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Makino Studios News

These are just four of the notecard sets on sale at 20% off in the Cards section. Sale ends this Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024.

SALE on notecards: I’m offering 20% off all holiday and everyday notecard sets. These come eight to a box with eight kraft envelopes. Normally $20, they are on sale through midnight this Sunday, Nov. 17 for $16 with promo code NOTECARD20. Most of these designs are also available as single cards with words.

2025 calendars: So far this season, more than 500 of my mini-calendars of art and haiku have gone out the door! Still just $12 each, these lovely little calendars make great gifts for friends and family.

Greeting cards: You can find most of my newest single cards at the top of this collection of 70 designs. These cards are made with fiber from responsibly managed forests and the mill uses green energy and carbon offsets. They are printed in Arcata, California by an independent small business and go for $5 each.

Holiday shipping deadlines: For arrival on or before December 25, please place your order no later than December 17. The mail has been slow these days, so even sooner is safer!

Made in Humboldt Fair: This event at Pierson Garden Shop in Eureka, CA runs through Dec. 24. There you can find my book (Water and Stone: Ten Years of Art and Haiku), signed and matted prints, 2025 calendars and notecard sets.

Arcata Holiday Craft Market: This fundraiser for the Arcata Recreation Department’s youth scholarship program takes place Dec. 14-15 at the Arcata Community Center in Arcata, CA. Look for the Makino Studios booth on the lefthand side of the main room. This is my only in-person event this season and I will be offering some deals and closeouts.

Social: I’ve given up on Twitter/X, but I regularly post art, haiku, news and more on Instagram and Threads as @annettemakino and on Facebook as Makino Studios (links below). See you over there!

Thanks: I always appreciate your feedback, whether by email, on social media or here in the comments.

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Credit: “the last rays of sun” - 5th place tie, kukai at Seabeck 2023; in Winds Aloft: 2023 Seabeck Haiku Getaway Anthology, Eds. Annette Makino and P H. Fisher, Haiku Northwest, 2024