Lorraine A Padden is an award-winning poet, former professional dancer and Fellow at the National Endowment for the Arts. Her work has been honored worldwide by haiku societies, popular journals, and international competitions. Lorraine is featured in A New Resonance, a showcase of emerging voices in English-language haiku. Her 2022 collection Upwelling was named a short-list finalist for The Haiku Foundation’s Touchstone Distinguished Book Award, and Lorraine also received the 2022 Touchstone Award for Individual Poems. She is an active member of Zen Peacemakers International, and was a featured presenter at Upaya Zen Center’s popular Way of Haiku conference in 2023. Lorraine recently released Last Straw, a haiku and photography collaboration with visual artist Daniel Derdula. A frequent panelist and guest editor serving the broad haiku community, Lorraine is honored to be named a Fellow for the inaugural season of Confluence Haiku, a journal and pro-social platform focused on inclusion and experimentation in haiku and its many related forms.