A writer's search for inspiration, beauty, and solace leads her to
birds in this intimate and exuberant meditation on creativity and
life--a field guide to things small and significant.
When it comes to birds, Kyo Maclear isn't seeking the exotic. Rather she
discovers joy in the seasonal birds that find their way into view in
city parks and harbors, along eaves and on wires. In a world that values
big and fast, Maclear looks to the small, the steady, the slow
accumulations of knowledge, and the lulls that leave room for
contemplation.
A distilled, crystal-like companion to H is for Hawk, Birds Art Life
celebrates the particular madness of chasing after birds in the urban
environment and explores what happens when the core lessons of birding
are applied to other aspects of art and life. Moving with ease between
the granular and the grand, peering into the inner landscape as much as
the outer one, this is a deeply personal year-long inquiry into big
themes: love, waiting, regrets, endings. If Birds Art Life was sprung
from Maclear's sense of disconnection, her passions faltering under the
strain of daily existence, this book is ultimately about the value of
reconnection--and how the act of seeking engagement and beauty in small
ways can lead us to discover our most satisfying and meaningful lives.
