Cover of Acorn: Mighty Haiku showing an acorn at the roots of an oak tree
An acorn fits in the palm of your hand. It also holds a century-old oak.
That is the idea behind Acorn: Mighty Haiku — 300 Poems on Nature, Grief, and Grace, the newest collection from international award-winning poet Zaneta V. Johns. Prolific Pulse Press is proud to release it on November 14, 2026.
Each poem is three lines long. Together, the 300 haiku invite you to slow down, reflect, and rediscover the calm in everyday life.
Inside the collection
Zaneta began these poems with a mindful eye on the world around her. Then came unimaginable loss, and the collection grew to hold it. The result is a book that is honest about sorrow and steady in its hope.
Readers will find four threads running through the pages:
- Nature. Birdsong, sunlight filtering through foliage, vibrant flowers, and resilient butterflies.
- Grief and healing. The hush of deep sorrow, and the resilience that follows loss.
- Faith and spirit. Love, spirituality, and the endless search for peace.
- Compassion and justice. Our responsibility to one another and to the natural world.
Acorn reminds us that wisdom and wonder often dwell in the smallest, and sometimes most painful, moments. The book closes with Book Club Conversation Starters, which makes it a natural choice for reading groups and classrooms.
Watch: Poet Talk with Zaneta V. Johns
We sat down with Zaneta for a Poet Talk about the new release. She shares where Acorn began, why she chose haiku, and what she hopes readers carry with them.
Listen on Spotify
Prefer to listen? The conversation is also on our podcast. Take it on a walk, which seems right for a book this close to nature. Spotify
What readers are saying
Reviews
“There are poets who write beautiful words, and then there are poets who create poetic journeys and heartfelt experiences that linger long after the final page is turned. Zaneta Johns is undeniably among the latter… This is a 5-Star Read in every sense of a supreme reading experience and highly recommended.”
Chyrel J. Jackson, author of Unsung Canaan Ballads, Poet, Poet Laureate
“Symbolic of nature’s resilience and nature’s beauty. Zaneta Johns’ collection of haikus forges a metaphorical triangle: on one side, nature; on the other, people; and at the base, the foundation, faith in God.”
Peter Mladinic, author of The Whitestone Bridge
“This collection maintains a deeply personal and resilient tone, as Johns explores sorrow, healing, and the enduring strength found in small beginnings, mirrored in the acorn’s journey to becoming a mighty oak.”
Loralee Clark, author of Neolithic Imaginings: Mythic Explorations of the Unknown
“Gems that are full to overflowing with wisdom. Gems that speak to the soul… Zaneta Varnado Johns has written a graduate course on life and created a pathway for each of us, no matter our personal experiences, to participate.”
Emma L. Sembly, B.A., M.S., author of Mr. Krippet
Meet the poet
Author Zaneta V. Johns
Zaneta V. Johns, also known as Zan Johns, writes from Colorado. Acorn joins her three earlier poetry collections and a journal.
Creative Beacons International Group named her the 2026 Literary Icon. In 2025 she received the Philippines’ Gawad Pumana Literary Leadership Award. Her third collection, Encore, was a 2024 American Writing Awards Finalist in Contemporary Poetry.
She coedited the anthologies Cadence (2024) and Social Possibilities (2025) with Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld, and both were American Writing Awards Finalists. She is a Lifetime Legacy Member of the Women Speakers Association and served as its inaugural poet laureate. She is also an editor for Fine Lines Literary Journal.
Learn more at ZanExpressions.com.
Get your copy
Acorn: Mighty Haiku is available November 14, 2026, at ProlificPulse.com and from online stores.
Book Club Conversation Starters included. Contact admin@prolificpulse.com for book club inquiries.
For review copies, interviews, and event bookings, write to admin@prolificpulse.com.
