366 Days: : Haiku and Photography

Lauren Oujiri, a writer, photographer, and coach, picked up haiku in 2017 for the first time since childhood, began writing it daily, and 1000+ haiku later, this book emerged. Lauren uniquely pairs her haiku with photography from the ocean vistas to the most delicate inner fractals of a sunflower while touching on the human condition, paradox, and beauty of life. Her first collection, "For Your Truth & Light," was a simple reaching in and reaching out with 78 poems and photos. By comparison, this daily compilation - with a nod to the oft-forgotten Leap Day - of 366 pairs is a more full expression and exploration of standard themes around love, pain, confusion, wonder, joy, comfort, dreams, despair, beauty, solitude, inner contemplation, connection, compassion, and peace. "I am often asked if the haiku or the image comes first, and the answer is "yes!" . It goes in both directions. It comes in the moment when I am in nature taking pictures, and it comes in the quiet hours of the early morning, sending me diving into my archive for the image I know is there ready, waiting patiently to pair up, saying, "yes, me" with a smile." Lauren began the hobby and enjoyment of photography in early childhood, and has sold and displayed her work in galleries and online.You can find Lauren's daily photos on Instagram and her website, laurenoujiri.com.