Mary Oliver's birds in 'Blue Horses: Poems'

Great White Heron, plate 281 (Audubon)

This weekend I picked up a copy of Mary Oliver's 2014 Blue Horses: Poems, a poetry collection rich in bird imagery. "The Black Snake" was the first poem I ever read by Mary Oliver and I've loved her work ever since that first encounter. Below is the opening poem in this collection.

AFTER READING LUCRETIUS, I GO TO THE POND

The slippery green frog
that went to his death
in the heron's pink throat
was my small brother,

and the heron with the white plumes
like a crown on his head
who is washing now his great sword-beak
in the shining pond
is my tall thin brother.

My heart dresses in black
and dances.

The Wonderful Works of David George Haskell

David George Haskell

Last summer in Sewanee, I had the privilege of having dinner with biologist and University of the South professor David George Haskell along with my creative nonfiction classmates at the fabulous Sewanee Inn. I'd met Dr. Haskell on a few other occasions when I was a student in John Jeremiah Sullivan's nonfiction workshop and while I was working on my master's thesis (Birds in the works of the Brontës and Dickens). While I'm certain he didn't remember me, Dr. Haskell certainly made a lasting impression. His nature writing both captivated and inspired me and continues to do so in my own writing.

His first book, The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature, became a Pulitzer Prize finalist and his second book, The Songs of Trees: Stories from Nature's Great Connectors, provides another example of Haskell's skill in literary nature writing.

2018 Reading List...so far

I'm excited about 2018 for several reasons, but mostly because I (should) have more time to read. This year will also mark my last summer in Sewanee as a student (MFA), so I'm sure to have a good 10+ books to read for summer semester. Here is a glimpse of my reading list so far....

Books read in 2017

As usual, I had planned to read at least 52 books in 2017. This did not happen. I barely made it to the halfway point, mainly because of my teaching schedule. If only I could count those 400+ papers I had to read from my students this past year. But that isn't quite literature, is it? The good news is that I'm not longer teaching as an adjunct professor. My MFA thesis is on the horizon and I knew I couldn't devote enough time to researching/writing if I had other things on my plate. I'll have no excuses if I don't reach my reading goals in 2018.

Disclaimer: I read mostly "cozy" mysteries in 2017...because if I didn't read something easy, I wouldn't have had the strength to read at all (again, so many student papers). I love M.C. Beaton's books--even if they aren't considered "high" literature. Better to read something than nothing, right?

Completed books in 2017:

I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller

History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

The Vanishing Year by Kate Moretti

The LIttle Red Chairs by Edna O'Brien

Going Out with Peacocks and Other Poems by Ursula Le Guin

A Christmas Hope by Anne Perry

Haunting Years by William Linton Andrews

Death of a Dreamer (Hamish Macbeth #21) by M.C. Beaton

Death of a Bore (Hamish Macbeth #20) by M.C. Beaton

Death of a Chimney Sweep (Hamish Macbeth #26) by M.C. Beaton

Death of a Greedy Woman (Hamish Macbeth) by M.C. Beaton

Death of a Valentine (Hamish Macbeth #25) by M.C. Beaton

Death of a Witch (Hamish Macbeth #24) by M.C. Beaton

Death of a Village (Hamish Macbeth #18) by M.C. Beaton

Death of a Celebrity (Hamish Macbeth #17) by M.C. Beaton

Death of a Scriptwriter (Hamish Macbeth #14) by M.C. Beaton

Death of a Macho Man (Hamish Macbeth #12) by M.C. Beaton

Death of a Snob (Hamish Macbeth #6) by M.C. Beaton

Death of a Prankster (Hamish Macbeth #7) by M.C. Beaton

Death of a Perfect Wife (Hamish Macbeth #4) by M.C. Beaton

Death of a Gossip (Hamish Macbeth #1) by M.C. Beaton

2017: 52 Books A Year Challenge

So far....

Daily Poetry Reading

Coming down the mountain #Sewanee #AutumnFoliage

A photo posted by Emily Wallace (@southernemma) on Nov 8, 2014 at 1:10pm PST

A very good friend and mentor suggested that I should spend 15 minutes every day reading poetry, so I've started the practice today using autumn as my theme. Here are the poems I read (aloud) in the span of 15 minutes. I plan to reread these and make some reflections in the near future.

"North of Boston" and "November" by Maggie Dietz

"The Hawk's Cry in Autumn" by Joseph Brodsky

"The Season of Phantasmal Peace" by Derek Walcott

"The Thrush" by Edward Thomas

"Autumn" by Joan Mitchell

"November for Beginners" by Rita Dove

Birds in Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights: my article in the Bronte Studies journal

After many months of editing, my essay "Caged Eagles, Carrion-seekers, and Songsters: Birds in Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights" has been published by the Bronte Studies journal. You can find it online and in the print journal for September.