Welcome - 5Ws About the Author and Books

Hello reader,

Allen W. McLean is an author of speculative fiction, poetry and reviews.

He was born and raised in the Canadian suburbs of Brampton Ontario, and identifies as non-binary.

His wife April produces music and art as Electric Armchair; at her behest, Allen began sharing poetry on his book reviews and releases for the HaikuPrajna Collection, a library of his study notes for readers who will never consume the stories just as much as they are for those who have or want to.

Obsessed with forming stories since playing pretend as a child, his fiction today focuses on transcending one’s hindrances, with ideas from metaphysics, theology, yoga, mindfulness, meditation, and is inspired by sci-fi, comics and manga.

Allen has released over a dozen books, and his Bite-sized Insights have been collected online, in print and in public libraries around the Toronto area.

Thank you for reading.

... 

PS. This blog links to sites where readers can make purchases and where royalties are collected from one's membership; thank you for your support.

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. Read all of my books and writing online at HaikuPrajna 

https://aprilandallen.square.site/haikuprajna

. April's psychedelic music videos, art and poetry is available on all streaming platforms at Electric Armchair 

https://aprilandallen.square.site/electricarmchair

. Read more haiku, listen to April's music and follow online; all readers subscribed by email on Patreon, Substack and Medium get book reviews with poetry in their inbox and have access to a selection of eBooks--visit to submit to our public poetry prompt and view more features!

https://aprilandallen.square.site/social 

...

Book Page Links [ previews available ] : 

. The 'Fluke' Series

... BATT-LE Colosseum 

... ULTRAVIOLET

. The Wisps Book 

... Summond the Scarecrow [Book IV]

... Ado the Owl [ FREE! ] 

. Together in Forever 

. Fishing for Caribou 

. Escape Perennial City

. SM-SARA, Poetry and Other Stories 

... Hector Blake [ FREE! ] 

. Elephant in the Room

...

. Book Review Analysis Summaries https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/p/book-review-summary-study-notes.html

...

. 5Ws About the Author and Books https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2022/05/welcome-5ws-about-me-and-this-blog.html

20260307 . HaikuPrajna . Peel Pop-Up Market @ Susan Fennell Youth Hub

Where skates hit the ice, \ 

find a book to read before \ 

you check the market 

. HaikuPrajna . Peel Pop-Up Market @ Susan Fennell Youth Hub  

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Thank you for reading and subscribing online at HaikuPrajna

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Hello reader,

New APRILandALLEN's Roadmap video available on YouTube! 

https://youtu.be/G1xaslomjYs

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We had a market space at the Peel Pop-up Market in the Susan Fennell Youth Hub! 

After crossing from the northeast corner of the city to the southwest, and after crossing the Sheridan College campus in the rain with a bag that had a handle snap on us in the parking lot, we reached the the sports and rec centre, a very nice facility with a Library, all a short walk from Shopper's World.

Our hosts kept us vendors well fed and hydrated with pops, cookies, chips and pizza; our neighours ranged from other arts and crafts to social services, please do go check them out through the @youth2action Instagram! 

Visitors went home with prints of my “A Date At The Zoo” watercolour Tiger painting, origami, copies of Escape Perennial City and April's Fright Folk, and a number of stickers and Electric Armchair's Pocket Comics mini-zines!

Huge thank you to everyone who showed up and checked out our art, as well to our hosts and venue for the opportunity to meet others while sharing what we love to do.

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Thank you for reading,

Until next time!

Allen W. McLean

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Need more Bite-sized Insights to relieve your stress and suffering?

Share, subscribe or leave a comment, it means the world to authors and is the easiest way to support the work you read, as you will help reach other readers! @HaikuPrajna @ElectricArmchair @PrajnaOrTheElephant

Read mindfulness meditation scifaiku and haiku poetry, book reviews and metaphysical stories online at HaikuPrajna; listen to Prajna or The Elephant on your favorite music platform! https://aprilandallen.square.site/haikuprajna 

Prints available online at APRILandALLEN's Handmade Art Works, Book Merch, and Clay Quirks https://aprilandallen.square.site/

April's psychedelic music videos, art and poetry is available on all streaming platforms at Electric Armchair! https://aprilandallen.square.site/electricarmchair

All readers subscribed by email on Patreon, Substack and Medium have access to a selection of eBooks--visit to submit to our public poetry prompt and view more features! https://aprilandallen.square.site/social  

These poems will be collected in future editions of the HaikuPrajna Collection. 

20260301 . HaikuPrajna . Brampton Indie Comics & Zines . Brampton Arts Organization .

Cut and fold paper \ 

doodles into an artwork \ 

to share with new friends 

. HaikuPrajna . Brampton Indie Comics & Zines . Brampton Arts Organization 

.

Thank you for reading and subscribing online at HaikuPrajna

.

Hello reader,

New APRILandALLEN's Roadmap video available on YouTube! 

https://youtu.be/LJHvKpir64U

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We were given the opportunity to speak at a Brampton Indie Comics & Zines jam!

The group hung out at the amazing Brampton Arts Organization office downtown, I used to walk by the entrance daily at the bus and train terminal but never went in until now; lots of colour, very clean and spacious, with a great view of the tracks and street below that is hard to see anywhere else in the city. 

I was given the opportunity to read the Pokemon Day issue of The HaikuPrajna Challenge, let me know if you wrote your own.

April and I made zines all day, I made a Minecraft one along with another using prompts that our event organizer Joy (@joysan @snarkytuna) provided for us, and April got to perform a ukulele rendition of her song Love Boat.

But now we have to go back for our zines! We donated a selection of our catalog along with the mini-zines we put together to go into Brampton’s first official Zine Vending Machine, and there's going to be a party to launch it later this month; we had fun, thank you for giving us this opportunity to meet new friends and share our Zines!  

.

Thank you for reading,

Until next time!

Allen W. McLean

.

Need more Bite-sized Insights to relieve your stress and suffering?

Share, subscribe or leave a comment, it means the world to authors and is the easiest way to support the work you read, as you will help reach other readers! @HaikuPrajna @ElectricArmchair @PrajnaOrTheElephant

Read mindfulness meditation scifaiku and haiku poetry, book reviews and metaphysical stories online at HaikuPrajna; listen to Prajna or The Elephant on your favorite music platform! https://aprilandallen.square.site/haikuprajna 

Prints available online at APRILandALLEN's Handmade Art Works, Book Merch, and Clay Quirks https://aprilandallen.square.site/

April's psychedelic music videos, art and poetry is available on all streaming platforms at Electric Armchair! https://aprilandallen.square.site/electricarmchair

All readers subscribed by email on Patreon, Substack and Medium have access to a selection of eBooks--visit to submit to our public poetry prompt and view more features! https://aprilandallen.square.site/social  

These poems will be collected in future editions of the HaikuPrajna Collection. 

20260215 . HaikuPrajna . Iron Lung (aka A Date With Markiplier) @markiplier . Scotiabank Theatre 20260203

The Silent Rapture \ 

An empty sky of blood moons \ 

We are grateful for... 

. HaikuPrajna . Iron Lung (aka A Date With Markiplier) @markiplier . Scotiabank Theatre

.

Thank you for reading and subscribing online at HaikuPrajna

.

Hello reader,

New video available on YouTube! 

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April and I enjoyed a day out in Toronto, and we watched Markiplier’s Iron Lung. 

Scotiabank Theatre was busy; after wandering from Bloor to Union, we ate Cineplex’s pulled pork hotdogs before sitting down for our first film since COVID. 

Iron Lung’s story and editing was captivating, the cinematography kept the claustrophobic area feeling fresh with abstract viewing perspectives and visuals. 

Humanity was poking at the Light, which caused a kind of singularity called the Silent Rapture, but they keep poking at it, and the hive mind fights to prevent the survivors from continuing to do so. I caught vibes from Evangelion with the LCL, Tom Cruise's War of the Worlds in the dried blood, and The Matrix in its philosophical themes, all with the same charm as In Space With; it was great.

Ps.

Mark,

You made a(nother) movie! You and Amy and the crew deserve all the success and praise. Thank you for getting me back into YouTube, for introducing us to Ethan and Tyler and Wade and Bob, for getting us back into other creators like Arin and Dan. You guys are an inspiration to the indie scene. 

Congrats! Here's to the number one movie in America! 

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. 008

. When You Return 

. 20260214

. Watercolor on watercolor paper

. Private collection, Ontario, Canada

. 20cm x 12.5cm

. Prints of paintings now available

.

. 007

. Iron Lung . Scotiabank Theatre 

. 20260203

. Watercolor on watercolor paper 

. Private collection, Ontario, Canada

. 9cm x 5.5cm

. Prints of paintings now available

.

Captured on Pixel 6a 

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Thank you for reading,

Until next time!

Allen W. McLean

.

Need more Bite-sized Insights to relieve your stress and suffering?

Share, subscribe or leave a comment, it means the world to authors and is the easiest way to support the work you read, as you will help reach other readers! @HaikuPrajna @ElectricArmchair @PrajnaOrTheElephant

Read mindfulness meditation scifaiku and haiku poetry, book reviews and metaphysical stories online at HaikuPrajna; listen to Prajna or The Elephant on your favorite music platform! https://aprilandallen.square.site/haikuprajna 

Prints available online at APRILandALLEN's Handmade Art Works, Book Merch, and Clay Quirks https://aprilandallen.square.site/

April's psychedelic music videos, art and poetry is available on all streaming platforms at Electric Armchair! https://aprilandallen.square.site/electricarmchair

All readers subscribed by email on Patreon, Substack and Medium have access to a selection of eBooks--visit to submit to our public poetry prompt and view more features! https://aprilandallen.square.site/social  

These poems will be collected in future editions of the HaikuPrajna Collection. 

20260125 . HaikuPrajna . A Date At The Zoo . Toronto Zoo 20251111

Tunnels planned between \ 

animals out in the cold \ 

got to catch them all 

. HaikuPrajna . A Date At The Zoo . Toronto Zoo 2025

.

Thank you for reading and subscribing online at HaikuPrajna

.

Hello reader,

New video available on YouTube at Prajna or The Elephant!

. Prints of paintings now available

. 001-003

. A Date At The Zoo . Toronto Zoo 2025

. Fish . Tiger . Jellyfish 

. 20260109 . 20260116

. Watercolor on canvas roll 

. 9cm x 5.5cm 

https://aprilandallen.square.site/haikuprajna-art

April treated us to a snowy winter trip to the Toronto Zoo on Remembrance Day, where we spent our time capturing photos and ideas together. 

We took the GO train out of the suburbs, with a minute of silence on the TTC at 11:11 in the morning.

We had kept warm by jumping between pavilions, soaking up the greenhouse, and we decided to skip the Canada area this time. We missed an exit in one of the buildings and re-entered from the outside, where we caught a sense of deja vu seeing the macaws again when that exit looped into the entrance.

Inside, we visited the jellyfish, monkeys, bugs and hippos.

We saw tigers, wolves and eagles in the outside areas, with short walks between each.

Beside our snacks from home, at Tim Horton’s we tried the salted caramel butter tart, along with a reliable herb and garlic pastry, and at McDonald's we ate Junior Chickens and fries with 7-Eleven slushies before heading home to our wild animal, Joe Bean.

.

Thank you for reading,

Until next time!

Allen W. McLean

.

Need more Bite-sized Insights to relieve your stress and suffering?

Share, subscribe or leave a comment, it means the world to authors and is the easiest way to support the work you read, as you will help reach other readers! @HaikuPrajna @ElectricArmchair

Read mindfulness meditation scifaiku and haiku poetry, book reviews and metaphysical stories, such as "Escape Perennial City", plus more writing online at HaikuPrajna; listen to Prajna or The Elephant on your favorite music platform! https://aprilandallen.square.site/haikuprajna 

Show your support with our Handmade Art Works, Book Merch, and Clay Quirks at APRILandALLEN's! Prints available online. https://aprilandallen.square.site/

April's psychedelic music videos, art and poetry is available on all streaming platforms at Electric Armchair! https://aprilandallen.square.site/electricarmchair

Read more haiku, listen to April's music and follow online; all readers subscribed by email on Patreon, Substack and Medium get book reviews with poetry in their inbox and have access to a selection of eBooks--visit to submit to our public poetry prompt and view more features! https://aprilandallen.square.site/social  

These poems will be collected in future editions of the HaikuPrajna Collection. 

20260117 . HaikuPrajna . Pokemon Yellow “Nuzlocke”

Familiar towns,\ 

challenge the league once again\ 

partnered with old friends 

. HaikuPrajna . Pokemon Yellow “Nuzlocke”

.

Thank you for reading and subscribing online at HaikuPrajna

.

Hello reader,

Short: https://youtube.com/shorts/dWoB09vX774

Stream More No Commentary Gameplay VoDs on YouTube at HaikuPrajna! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz6rilPblDSdkwt3Cz8yOThcTmoKwPUBk

Broadcasted live on Twitch - Captured on Pixel 6a https://www.twitch.tv/haikuprajna

.

Thank you for reading,

Until next time!

Allen W. McLean

.

Need more Bite-sized Insights to relieve your stress and suffering?

Share, subscribe or leave a comment, it means the world to authors and is the easiest way to support the work you read, as you will help reach other readers! @HaikuPrajna @ElectricArmchair

Read mindfulness meditation scifaiku and haiku poetry, book reviews and metaphysical stories, such as "Escape Perennial City", plus more writing online at HaikuPrajna; listen to Prajna or The Elephant on your favorite music platform! https://aprilandallen.square.site/haikuprajna 

Show your support with our Handmade Art Works, Book Merch, and Clay Quirks at APRILandALLEN's! https://aprilandallen.square.site/

April's psychedelic music videos, art and poetry is available on all streaming platforms at Electric Armchair! https://aprilandallen.square.site/electricarmchair

Read more haiku, listen to April's music and follow online; all readers subscribed by email on Patreon, Substack and Medium get book reviews with poetry in their inbox and have access to a selection of eBooks--visit to submit to our public poetry prompt and view more features! https://aprilandallen.square.site/social  

These poems will be collected in future editions of the HaikuPrajna Collection.