Haiku and Hope

Overview

Roam America’s rich landscape in verse 
 
For the nature enthusiast, the climate activist, and the poetry lover, Haiku and Hope: 50 States of Climate Change offers a unique exploration of the United States through the evocative lens of haiku. Author, activist, and explorer Maggie Dewane takes readers along on her journey to visit all 50 states as she both experiences the landscape in its current state, as well as imagines its future. 
 
Haiku and Hope doesn’t shy away from contemporary challenges. A companion haiku for each state confronts the environmental threats it faces, prompting reflection and dialogue. The juxtaposition between the geography that we might know and admire about certain places with the vulnerability and threat of that changing or even disappearing sheds light on all the reasons we need to preserve and protect these special places. 
 
After the collection of haiku, a narrative section delves into Dewane’s personal journey, sharing the experiences and moments of inspiration that led her to write each poem. This reflective portion of the book gives readers deeper insight into her travels and the emotional impact of witnessing the changing environment firsthand.
 
This collection is a celebration of America’s natural wonders, a call to action in the face of climate change, and a testament to the power of poetry to move us. 

Reviews

“How much climate wisdom, clarity, and emotional impact can you fit into 17 syllables? Plenty, as Maggie Dewane demonstrates in Haiku and Hope, her exploration of the 50 states in a time of great change and uncertainty, a collection as pointed and concise as a haiku itself.” 
— Scott Weidensaul, author of A World on the Wing 

“The poetry in Haiku and Hope took me back to beloved places and onward to new adventures. Maggie has creatively captured the essence of each state, making me feel I know America more intimately. Equally important is the care she has given to envisioning the country’s future if we do not act on climate nor ensure the way forward is inclusive of Indigenous voices, overburdened and underserved communities, and considerations of our non-human kin. This poetry, and moreover this book, is an accessible entry point to those wishing to learn more about their home, the climate, and their role in shaping our future.” 
— Lucy Sherriff, climate journalist 

`“Maggie Dewane travels to all 50 states and casts her poetic eye on the environment. She offers us a traditional haiku that captures the beauty of nature alongside a ‘changed’ haiku that shows us how climate change is impacting every state. By the end of this collection, I did not feel despair; on the contrary, I felt a deeper connection to, and love for, all these places.” 
— Craig Santos Perez, author of Habitat Threshold 

“The essential elegance of the haiku form and the curation of its global tradition spans the ages, crosses cultures, and softly sings of our mountains, seas, deserts, and skies. In this very modern collection, the haiku's reverence of the closely-observed, familiar, natural world is reimagined and sharpened by the stark inelegance of human disruption. Dewane's haiku duets direct a glare at America, state-by-beloved-state, reminding us of the fragility of all form, the fragility of all terrestrial elegance, and do not hesitate to insist that we are all part of the great global body of consequence.” 
— Becky Byrkit, author of Whoa 

“The very idea of Haikus and Hope surprised me. Haiku, climate crisis, hope, and our 50 states? An intriguing mix, to be sure. And yet, as Dewane writes, ‘Nature is poetry: words suspended together that can evoke explicit meaning or leave space for interpretation, imagination, and revelation,’ and that is exactly what she has gifted her readers. This book is sure to inspire, delight, and open the door to much-needed conversations.” 
— Laura Pritchett, author of Three Keys and Playing with {Wild}Fire and director of the MFA in Nature Writing at Western Colorado University 

“In her delicately crafted haiku, Maggie Dewane demonstrates how she’s found refuge in each of our 50 states and two territories. Whether scrambling over rocks out West, watching wheat blossoms stir or a sea turtle in Hawai’i, Dewane captures frissons of her fierce love for place. ‘With her, I exist,’ she writes of the turtle and perhaps of Earth. Yet right on the heels of her topophilia is solastalgia—the lived experience of each state’s gradual devastation because of climate change. Like any good haiku, last lines haunt. One ends: “We’re losing ourselves.” Through her chosen form and her reflections, Dewane illuminates what is ephemeral: the immediacy of Earth’s changes and the necessity for immediate action.” 
— Amy Pence, author of [It] Incandescent; Armor, Amour, and We Travel Towards It 

“Beautifully written, wry, and intense. . . Maggie’s narrative traversing the country feels like taking a road trip with a friend, which is complemented and enhanced by the poetic exploration of our natural world. I loved the framing of the haiku, capturing each state with clear imagery of animals, crops, or coasts; I felt like I could see myself walking through the same forests she described. In stark contrast, haiku highlighting each state’s environmental challenges convey the urgency of climate action. This book is a poignant reminder of poetry’s power to inspire, and, while sitting uniquely among throngs of climate literature, should empower readers to act.” 
— Joel Berger, senior scientist at Wildlife Conservation Society

"The essential elegance of the haiku form and the curation of its global tradition spans the ages, crosses cultures, and softly sings of our mountains, seas, deserts, and skies. In this very modern collection, the haiku's reverence of the closely-observed, familiar, natural world is reimagined and sharpened by the stark inelegance of human disruption. Dewane's haiku duets direct a glare at America, state-by-beloved-state, reminding us of the fragility of all form, the fragility of all terrestrial elegance, and do not hesitate to insist that we are all part of the great global body of consequence." —Becky Byrkit, author of Whoa

"The very idea of Haikus and Hope surprised me. Haiku, climate crisis, hope, and our fifty states? An intriguing mix, to be sure. And yet, as Dewane writes, “Nature is poetry: words suspended together that can evoke explicit meaning or leave space for interpretation, imagination, and revelation,” and that is exactly what she has gifted her readers. This book is sure to inspire, delight, and open the door to much-needed conversations. " —Laura Pritchett, author of Three Keys and Playing with {Wild}Fire and Director of the MFA in Nature Writing at WCU

"In her delicately crafted haiku, Maggie Dewane demonstrates how she’s found refuge in each of our 50 states and two territories. Whether scrambling over rocks out west, watching wheat blossoms stir or a sea turtle in Hawai’i, Dewane captures frissons of her fierce love for place. 'With her, I exist,' she writes of the turtle and perhaps of Earth. Yet right on the heels of her topophilia is solastalgia—the lived experience of each state’s gradual devastation because of climate change. Like any good haiku, last lines haunt. One ends: 'We’re losing ourselves.' Through her chosen form and her reflections, Dewane illuminates what is ephemeral: the immediacy of Earth’s changes and the necessity for immediate action." —Amy Pence, author of [It] Incandescent; Armor, Amour, and We Travel Towards It

Author Biography

Maggie Dewane is a writer, filmmaker, and communications expert who has traveled to all seven continents to understand climate change, conservation efforts, and how both impact people. Through short films, news articles, and poetry, she translates climate science to lay audiences to empower them to act.