Haiku Milieu is a creative movement founded by award-winning singer-songwriter, poet, and visual artist Jenny Bienemann, whose work appears in theater, film, television, online and and in publications. Her acclaimed book "Sundays with Jenny" won the poetry category in both the 2025 International Book Awards and the New York Book Festival, reflecting the deep resonance of her multidisciplinary voice.
What began as Jenny’s daily pairing of a haiku with an original photograph has grown into a wide-reaching community devoted to discovering the extraordinary in the everyday. From Oak Park, Illinois, Haiku Milieu now connects thousands through books, a beloved weekly newsletter, and an innovative concert series that brings new art into the world.
The Haiku Milieu book series includes five volumes, from full-size collections to tiny books designed for moments of reflection. Every Sunday at 6 a.m. CST, the free Haiku Milieu Newsletter arrives in inboxes around the world. Each issue offers a new haiku for subscribers, a digest of the week’s work, a reflective blog, and the Haiku Your Milieu section featuring contributions from the community. Since 2019, it has never missed a week, becoming a weekly ritual for readers everywhere.
The Haiku Milieu Concert Series carries this spirit into live performance. Local and touring artists create brand-new songs inspired by Jenny’s haiku and images. Since 2019, more than 450 original songs have premiered in these concerts and are available on the Haiku Milieu YouTube channel. Performances regularly sell out 100+ seat venues, offering audiences a warm, collaborative space where creativity unfolds in real time. All artists and production collaborators are compensated for their work.
Haiku Milieu seeks to:
• Find the extraordinary in the everyday through poetry, music, and imagery.
• Demonstrate the power of creative collaboration as ideas grow across disciplines.
• Cultivate belonging on the page, in inboxes, and in performance spaces.
• Empower personal expression by reminding everyone that creativity is accessible and renewing.
Currently sustained by Jenny’s day job and generating modest earned revenue through book and ticket sales, charitable support through fiscal sponsorship will illuminate community needs and guide the project’s growth as it continues fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection on a global scale.
Learn More: https://haikumilieu.com/