When people in Finland create fonts based on the U.S. state of Maine, a good result might be expected based on similar inspiring characteristics. The people of these lands of firs, birches, lakes, and fresh air respect and are inspired by nature. Indeed, there are many partnerships between Finland and Maine based on their shared reverence for nature, such as this.

In the collective imagination, both Finland and Maine conjure images of green and blue: forests, lakes, pristine coasts. Regarding Finland’s culture, many hear reflections of Finland’s natural beauty and tempestuous history in the music of national composer Jan Sibelius.

Sibelius’s haunting Swan of Tuonela evokes Finland’s mythic land of the dead, located in the northernmost part of the world. As Sibelius’s music swells, the listener sees the black swan guarding the final land. Through the intoxicating music, the listener can taste the memory-erasing beer given to those that stray into that dark place. The more corporeally minded might be transmitted to Finland’s far north by Swan’s transcendental tones, which also evoke the Northern Lights.

The more historically minded enjoy the drama and intensity of Sibelius’s Finlandia, a piece integral to Finland’s struggle for independence. Finlandia, in fact, had to be performed under aliases such as Happy Feelings at the awakening of Finnish Spring in order to disguise its more ambitious meanings from Russian censors.

Maine also has its coast, lakes, and massive forests, but for many, Maine means literature. As of late, this is generally attributable to this guy. With over 350 Million books sold, Stephen King is arguably Maine’s most well-known and prolific literary ambassador.

But Maine has produced many literary greats in addition to King: Sarah Orne Jewett, E.B. White, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Margaret Jane Mussey Sweat, to name a few of Maine’s literary notables.

Maine: a great literary tradition, and the perfect place to begin your own literary career. So whether you’re writing about or within trees, where to start?