Photo Credit: Delali Agawu

Anne Elise Burgevin is a teacher, poet, naturalist and environmentalist. Throughout her life she has fostered awareness and a sense of wonder in her children and students about the natural world. While growing up in the Finger Lakes of central New York and then raising her children in the Seven Mountains region of central Pennsylvania, she has come to know and love the northeastern deciduous forests, and the lakes and rivers that shape and define these regions. Her haiku are an expression of her passion and concern for every living being, for whom she has deep regard, including weeds. Standing near a clump of seven foot Joe-pye weed in her yard one summer’s day, Anne’s neighbor told her, “Your yard looks wild and untended,” which Anne took as a compliment. Wild and untended are key words in Anne’s world.

In addition to writing and teaching, Anne is an avid student and teacher of Shorin-Ryu karate, an authentic Okinawan style handed down over generations. She holds a black belt and teaches several classes in State College, PA as part of the familykarateclub.com.

Awards and Other Honors: United Nations International School Contest, English Teachers Category, 2015 (HM), 2016 (2nd and HM), 2017 (1st and two HM), 2018 (1st and 3rd), Anita Sadler Weiss Memorial Award, HM, 2013

Books Published: frozen earth, Red Moon Press, 2018

bald eagle
now a few heartbeats
and fields away

apple blossoms
the ballerina
holds her pose

weeding
what my hands
know by heart

nightfall
an orchid's
soft landing

shallow eddies
we came of age
on this river

spring thaw
a kite string
of geese

NaHiWriMo: Every year I collect the poems I write for NaHaiWriMo into a handmade book. I’m delighted to have this featured on the NaHiWriMo website. The article includes photos of the books featuring poems written in response to the February writing prompts provided each year from 2012 through 2018. http://www.nahaiwrimo.com/home/participation/handmade-nahaiwrimo-books 

 It was also a pleasure to serve as the NaHaiWriMo daily writing prompter for November 2016

Credits: “bald eagle” – Modern Haiku 47.2, 2016; “apple blossoms” – The Heron’s Nest Vol. XIV Number:3, Sept. 2012; “weeding” – The Heron’s Nest Vol. XIX Number:3, Sept. 2017; “nightfall” bottlerockets 29, 2014; “shallow eddies” – Frogpond 36.2, 2013; “spring thaw” – Modern Haiku 46.2, 2015; Volume XX, Number 3: Sept. 2018.

Poet Profile from The Haiku Foundation