Birds & Ada Limón

A few weeks ago with birds on the mind, I posted a found poem about a thrasher, and so I was tickled to hear Ada Limón's introduction to Hai-Dang Phan's "My Ornithology (Orange-crowned Warbler)" on "The Slowdown."  "...[A]s birds go, I really like the Brown Thrasher," Limón says. "The bird ...wanders the yard like an upstanding citizen." I laughed in recognition at her description, and then listened to Phan's poem with great appreciation.

Milkweed just published Limón's new collection of poetry, The Hurting Kind, and my friend Mandana Chaffa has reviewed it at the Chicago Review of Books.  Mandana has a great big heart; I think you'll enjoy reading her article—and want to buy the book or check it out from the library.

The May 20th edition of Poetry Friday takes place at Teaching Authors.

Photo: "Townsend's Warbler" by muralist ATM. Part of the Audubon Mural Project, in NYC. Photo by ST, 2019.

Comments

[Linda Baie]

I know the new book is coming out. Thanks for the article!

[Susan]

Linda, I’m going to be near a bookstore today that has a good poetry section. I just may have to buy it!

[Mary Lee]

I snagged a copy of Ada's new book last weekend! Can't wait to savor it on the upcoming drive to and from Baltimore!

[Susan T.]

Nice, Mary Lee! I’ve read one of the poems from the new book and look forward to more.

[PATRICIA J FRANZ]

I'm so glad you pointed out Ada Limon's intro this week... I'm behind in listening - and I LOVE thrashers, Western Long-billed Thrasher specifically. I'm not sure mine knows 1000 songs; he repeats one, at dawn and at dusk from a tree on my patio. I enjoyed your found poem on them!

[Susan]

Patricia, I was so tickled to hear her talking about thrashers, and I loved the Phan poem. Will definitely look for more of his work, too. Thanks for stopping by!

[jama]

Thanks for the heads up about Limon's book! Going to check out Mandana's review now. :)

[Susan T.]

You're welcome, Jama! I bought the book today in NYC. The first two stores were sold out, but I found it at a third stop.

[Michelle Kogan]

Great review of Ada Limón's new book, I had to laugh a bit about the "grandmother or a grandfather," and where she took this, with our not being able to understand poetry "until we resemble trees." And I love Phan's Warbler poem. Nice image you shared here also, thanks Susan!

[Linda Mitchell]

Love The Slowdown! It's such a wonderful bit of meditation on my way to work in the mornings...or on the ride home. Thanks for the tip on Limon's new book.

[Susan Thomsen]

Michelle, very Ashberyan, right? (Think "Some Trees."—"To tell us we are:/That their merely being there/Means something; that soon/We may touch, love, explain.") I really do love a good bird poem, too. Thanks for stopping by!

Linda, yes, I want to make listening to "The Slowdown" a regular practice. I like your idea of having it start or end a day.

[Carmela Martino]

Hi Susan, thanks for sharing your link in the Poetry Friday roundup. I don't know why it didn't appear originally, but I managed to get it to show up.
I'm way behind in listening to The Slowdown, so I'm glad you shared this today. I love what Ada Limón says in her intro about how the poem centers on "the meditative act of identifying a bird." I'm relatively new to bird watching and can definitely relate to the often painstaking process of identification.
Thanks, also, for the info about Limón's new book. Our library has it on order and I just put it on hold.

[Susan T.]

Carmela, thank you so much for getting that link working. I appreciate it! I'm glad you were able to put the book on hold. I always feel so happy when the library holds come in!

[Marcie Atkins]

Oh yes! My copy arrived this week! I can't wait to read it!

[Carol Varsalona]

Susan, I just started listening to Ada Limon on The Slowdown and enjoyed your post. You were right. Your friend, Mandana Chaffa, wrote a wonderful article. Poetry always seems to be a healer for me. Thanks for sharing.

[Susan T.]

You're so welcome, Carol. I'm planning to spend more time with The Slowdown, too. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Mandana's review. I think poetry criticism is hard, hard, hard, to write, but Mandana does so in a way that I always see what she's talking about & appreciating in the work under consideration.