Poetry
An award-winning poet, Lorraine A. Padden, M.A., regularly publishes English-language haiku and related Japanese short-form poetry in journals and anthologies.
Ms. Padden's work regularly appears in Modern Haiku, The Heron's Nest, tinywords and Frogpond, among other notable journals. She won Tricycle Magazine's 2021 Best of the Haiku Challenge as well as an Honorable Mention for the 2021 annual Haiku Society of Americal rengay Competition in honor of Garry Gay. Her 2022 awards include an Honorable Mention in the International Modern Kigo Competition and a Pinesong Award for her winning haiku in the Bloodroot Competition. Her work has been twice nominated for a Touchstone Award, the preeminent prize offered by The Haiku Foundation.
Outside of Poetry
After a satisfying career as a professional classical ballet dancer, Ms. Padden earned two degrees in art history from Brown University and Williams College. Her endeavors were supported by awards from the Ford Foundation, the Javits Fellowship program administered by the U.S. Department of Education, and the Foundation of Rotary International which supported post-graduate research in Rome, Italy. For her achievements in the performing arts and humanities arenas, Ms. Padden received an appointment to the National Endowment for the Arts.
An experienced leader across several key areas of nonprofit administration, Ms. Padden’s strategic designs for comprehensive capital and annual fund campaigns have garnered over $2.5 million for a variety of internationally renowned performing arts and higher education institutions. As a consulting specialist, she sustains an excellent track record of institutional grants and corporate sponsorships acquisition. Ms. Padden has also created innovative arts educational programs, curated symposia, developed marketing/media plans, and produced numerous special events. She advises Boards of Directors on strategic planning, membership diversification, and professional development, and is routinely invited to serve on grant-making panels that adjudicate awards for regional arts organizations.
An experienced vipassana meditation practitioner, Ms. Padden designed and facilitated a comprehensive mindfulness meditation program for incarcerated youth in San Diego. She also integrated guided meditation with facilitated victim-offender dialogues conducted through The Restorative Justice Mediation Program in San Diego.