Handmade NaHaiWriMo Books

Every year, Anne Burgevin‎ of State College, Pennsylvania collects the poems she writes for NaHaiWriMo into a handmade book. Here are photos of her books featuring poems written in response to the February writing prompts provided each year from 2012 through 2018, with Anne’s comments about each photo (click each photo to enlarge). See also Anne Burgevin’s Meet the Prompter interview.

Anne Burgevin’s Handmade NaHaiWriMo Books

“Each February for the past three years I have participated in NaHaiWriMo. It has become an exciting focal point of my winter. At the end of each February I make a small Japanese stab-binding book and hand-write my 28 or 29 haiku into them.”

“Creating the title page for my NaHaiWriMo books is very satisfying. I feel as if I’ve really made something special. My books go on the poetry shelf in our living room! If you participate in NaHaiWriMo, maybe you would like to do something similar at the end of this February.”



“Here are a few of my haiku. I think my favorite year was in 2012 when we went through an alphabet of prompts, one day for each letter of the alphabet, with a couple of surprises at the end. Thanks for all the great prompts over the years.”


        sweet-grass
        the banjo player’s
        moon shadow


        wood thrush
        its song draws me
        to the mountain


        buckwheat flowers
        her fertile days
        feel numbered







“This photo shows all five of the books I've made so far, including my 2015 and 2016 books. Other NaHaiWriMo participants could collect their haiku into handmade books like this too!”


        the compass
        keeps pointing
        to spring


        our canoe rides low
        on the wind-blown lake
        a raft of loons















“I now have seven NaHaiWriMo books, from 2012 through 2018, and I use these books regularly as teaching tools and for inspiration with my creative writing students.”