Please note: Munising School Public Library has two closings this month. On Monday, Feb. 17, we will be closed in recognition of the federal holiday, President’s Day. Additionally, we will be closed on Friday, Feb. 21, for our scheduled staff-training day. Apologies for any inconvenience, and thank you for your understanding.

February is National Haiku Writing Month. Haiku, the Japanese poetic form, is an underappreciated art form. In celebration of National Haiku Writing Month, the Munising Library invites everyone to try their hand at writing haiku and to share those efforts with us to display in the library and on our Facebook page.

Elements of haiku are that it has three lines. It has five syllables in the first and third lines, and it has seven syllables in the second line. The lines do not rhyme, and the poem includes a kireji, or cutting word. A cutting word is a grammatical category of words in Japanese poetry that create a sense of closure or pause. In English, punctuation like dashes, exclamation marks or question marks can approximate the effect of a kireji instead of a word. Lastly, a haiku also includes a kigo, which is a seasonal reference.

There will be a Haiku 101 PowerPoint display on Feb. 20 beginning at 3 p.m. for those needing inspiration. Let’s see how inspired our local haiku writers can be. Call Lisa at the library (906387-2125) if you have questions.

Without winter’s sun, we find the light where we can. Shine! Warm us with words.

TailSpinners Storytime meets this coming Monday at 10:30 a.m. Preschool-aged children and their caregivers are invited to attend this 30-minute activity for ages 7 and under. We hope to see you and your little one there.

New book

This week’s new book is “The Crash” by Freida McFadden. Here is the publisher’s synopsis: Tegan is 8 months pregnant, alone and desperately wants to put her crumbling life in the rearview mirror. She hits the road, not realizing she is heading straight into a blizzard.

Hours later, when Tegan is stranded in rural Maine with a dead car and broken ankle, she worries she has made a terrible mistake. Then a miracle occurs: A couple rescues her and offers her a room in their warm cabin. However, something is not right. Staying here may have been her most deadly mistake yet. A gut-wrenching story of motherhood, survival and twisted expectations, McFadden delivers a snowbound thriller that will chill you to the bone.