The workshop (uh, dining room table) has been busy lately, as I’ve been bringing some of my poetry to life by way of handmade zines featuring the RunHaiku poetry I’ve been producing over the past few years. Hand-drawn, -cut, and -bound, these little books were a lot of fun to…
Longest Night Run 2022
The Longest Night Run 2022 is now ready for sign-up. Register here. Get all the info on our website here. As I wrote to past participants today, even as the days shorten, an anticipation grows as we approach Dec 21, and the longest night of the year. The longest night…
Bashō
In my view a good poem is one in which the form of the verse, and the joining of its two parts, seem light as a shallow river flowing over its sandy bed. – Matsuo Bashō When my book Morning Rounds was coming into shape, I was introduced to the…
Nocturnal Songs
So [hope] makes a homeIn the deep shadowsWhere it waits to be foundBy those who need it most – David Gate # Lately I’ve taken note of the melancholy songs who, in Wendell Berry’s words, “don’t disturb the stillness from where they came.” Maybe they’re nocturnal songs, who hide out…
The Grizzly
While I’ve identified as an “ultrarunner” (mostly because it sounds cool) for several years, I realized, with all the cancellations over the past years, it had been nearly three years since I last ran an actual ultra marathon! Who am I anymore? But last week I finally had the chance…
Looking out the window
Churches and trainsThey all look the same to me nowThey shoot you some placeWhile we ache to come home somehow – Gregory Alan Isakov, Amsterdam Linford of Over the Rhine said, “Letters are good for discussing the weather. Almost anything that can be glimpsed out a window fits well into…
Digging Holes
Gotta dig a lot of holes to get into something deep – Nathaniel Rateliff I read Gabe’s 2000th blog post (thanks to Seth for sharing) and was again inspired to show up at this blog and write more often. Because big things often happen not all at once but drip…
Mennonite Marathon: The Peace Trail
Not everything automatically becomes a tradition. You can do a thing once, have a good time (or not), then never do it ever again. There’s no such thing as a “first annual”, you need a second to make it an annual affair. Back in 2020, when we were all going…
Junk Shed
Be careful who you pick as your hero. Beau Miles has inspired my creative and just-a-tad-odd side ever since I heard about his 26-hour marathon. After watching the video, I watched the rest of his wacky adventure stories, including his Run the Line video, and the one about his kayak…
Poetry Reading Saturday at The Public
Friends, we’re having ourselves a POETRY READING on Saturday, Apr 30. And you should come! Location: The Public Brewhouse and Gallery (301 Main St. Steinbach)Date: Saturday, Apr 30, 2pm (till about 3:30 or so)What’s happening: Readings of poetry from my new book, as well as readings from special guests. And…
© 2022 Brent Manke