BIRDS ART LOVE DEATH

For Vladimir Nabokov, it was butterflies. For John Cage, it was mushrooms. For Emily Dickinson, it was plants. Each of these artists took time away from their work to become observers of natural phenomena. In 2012, the author Kyo Maclear met an artist with an equally captivating side passion: a local Toronto musician who had recently lost his heart to birds. Curious about what had prompted a young urban artist to suddenly embrace nature, the author decided to follow him for a year and find out.

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.

KYO MACLEAR is a novelist, essayist and children's author. She was born in London, England and moved to Toronto at the age of four with her father (a foreign correspondent and documentary filmmaker) and mother (a painter and art dealer). Kyo holds an Honors B.A. in Fine Art and Art History and an M.A. in Cultural Studies from the University of Toronto, and has several scholarly publications to her credit. She is a doctoral student at York University where she holds a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. Her short fiction, essays and art criticism have been published in Brick, Border Crossings, The Millions, The Volta, Prefix Photo, Canadian Art, Resilience, The Guardian, Uppercase, Quill & Quire, Shambhala Sun, Toronto Life, Azure, Brain Child, Saturday Night, The Globe and Mail, among other publications. Her work has been anthologized in North America, Europe and Asia/Australia. Her debut novel, The Letter Opener (HarperCollins), was a finalist for the 2007 Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award, and in 2009 she was awarded the K.M. Hunter Artist Award in Literature. Her second novel, Stray Love (2012), received a starred review from Quill & Quire and was an Amazon Editor's Pick. Spork, the story of a mixed kitchen utensil and Kyo's debut book for children, was originally conceived with her husband to celebrate the birth of their first child. Kyo has since gone on to write several more beloved and celebrated books for children, including Virginia Wolf; Mr. Flux; Julia, Child; The Good Little Book; and The Specific Ocean. Kyo lives in Toronto where she shares a home with two sons, two cats, a musician and a truckload of books. For more information, please visit www.kyomaclear.ca.