Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods

Many thanks to the team at the Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods in Riverwoods, Illinois, for hosting the Midwest-Themed 2025 Exhibit along with a selection of poems from the Midwest-Themed 2024 Exhibit from January 14 through February 14, 2026. The center operates in the historic Brushwood home at the Ryerson Conservation area, located approximately 30 miles north of Chicago.

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Coinciding with the final day of the exhibit, the center's poet-in-residence and a guest presenter provided a wonderful introduction to haiku before leading participants on a ginko walk within the conservation area, where we took part in a ginko writing exercise. With approximately 30 attendees, the presentation and ginko were a great success. The presenters’ use of the rock garden to illustrate exemplary haiku was especially appreciated, and many attendees shared their favorites.

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