Maritime history is full of drama—and here in Michigan, where the Great Lakes behave more like inland seas, the stories run deep. Beneath their glassy surfaces lie shipwrecks caused by reckless captains chasing speed, tragedies swallowed by fog, and yes… even pirates.
Real-life pirates in the Midwest! These freshwater swashbucklers weren’t after gold, but lumber, illegal alcohol, and wild game meat—sailing the lakes with stealth and grit.
This week’s inspiration prompt invites you to write into the tension between surface calm and hidden danger:
- A lake that never gives up its dead.
- A family heirloom with a watery past.
- A pirate hat that fits a little too well.
- A ship that returns every year on the same foggy night.
What stories lie beneath the still water? What truths surface when we stop pretending the inland sea is tame?
Craft an ode to imaginary freshwater pirates—or real ones like Jack Rackham, James Jesse Strang, and Dan Seavey. Write a story of a town on the edge of myth, haunted by a foggy ship every November. Dive into the history of the Great Lakes in a lyric essay. Create a poetry collage weaving verse with images of pirates, Petoskey stones, and more.
Dive in—the water’s full of stories.
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