literary smArts haiku contest

The University Writing Center, Bookstore, and McIntyre Library invite you to participate in...





What is a haiku?

A brief, three-line, seventeen syllable poem about nature, with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third. Haiku is a zen art that expresses an intimate moment of present experience. No unneccesary words are required and the use of metaphors is discouraged. Here is an example:


Join the haiku fun,
Let creativity flow.
Submit yours today!


How do I participate?

Simply write your own haiku and submit it here. You may submit up to 4 haikus.


Submissions are due Friday, December 3, 2010


I've submitted my haiku - now what?


Winners will be notified at the beginning of the spring 2011 semester. Check back for more specific dates and information about prizes

Valentine's Contest Winners

McIntyre Library wants to congratulate its How I Met My Valentine contest winners. First prize goes to AnnaRae Soderberg for her story "Falling Head Over Heels."

Runners up were: John Lydon (A Fishy Love Story) & Kim Vaughter (Practice Makes Perfect).

Thanks to all who participated. There were so many great entries and it was hard to pick just three.

A special thanks to Acoustic Cafe and Sammy's Pizza for donating runner-up prizes!

Read AnnaRae's story below, or go to the Facebook group to read the other stories.

It was the fall of 2005; my freshman year at UWEC. Since I needed to take a fitness credit, and I ran competitively in high school, I decided to take jogging class. It was the second week of class. On nice days we ran the fitness trail around the track located behind McPhee. I was running behind two guys, when all of a sudden one of them tripped on a tree root and fell right down to the ground. There is a saying, “be careful what you wish for,” which was the case for Joseph. His intent was to turn and talk to me, wishing to make a good impression. Instead, I laughed to myself and kept running. At the end of class we were required to enter the indoor track and run until all of the students got in from the trail. Well, once inside I passed the same guy that had fallen, so I said “Come on!” He ran with me and we started to talk. I found out his name was Joe. Later that day I went on good old Facebook and added him as a friend. A year later we started dating. On December 31, 2007 he proposed, and we will be getting married on June 20, 2009. We always laugh when we think back on how he literally “fell head over heels” for me! There is a song which states: the Lord will provide, but sometimes the blessing is in disguise. That tree root turned out to be our blessing in disguise.

UWEC jogging class was the beginning of our journey to finding our soul mates. Therefore, we would be especially honored if we win the contest. Not many couples can say a tree root in jogging class was the start of something so amazing!

How I Met My Valentine Contest

Win a $50 gift certificate to Mona Lisa's or a variety of runner up prizes by entering the McIntyre Library's "How I Met My Valentine" contest.

If you think you've got a good "how we met" story that reads like a good romance novel or maybe a funny quirky tale of love, search Facebook for "How I Met My Valentine" for details on how to enter, click this link: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=115915310421 and follow the instructions.

The contest ends February 8.