Birds Art Life A Year of Observation

A writer’s intimate and exuberant search for creativity, meaning, and solace leads her to birdwatching in this “profound, charming memoir of art, books, life—and birds” (Minneapolis Star Tribune). 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. An “inspiring” (Parade) read, 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 “timely and generous reprieve from anxiety, fear, and grief” (Globe and Mail) and “incandescent exploration of beauty, inspiration, art, family, and freedom” (Toronto Star) was sprung from Maclear’s sense of disconnection, her passions faltering under the strain of daily existence. Ultimately, however, Birds Art Life is 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. In this “fragile fluid commentary…The reader can relax in the solitude of Maclear’s musings as the words gently flow into the consciousness” (Seattle Book Review, 5/5 stars).