The Alabama Writers’ Forum
The Alabama Writers’ Forum, a partnership program of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, works to cultivate our state’s literary culture. We do that through supporting writers at all stages. We encourage our young writers to find their creative voice through the Father Goose Poetry Festival for Kids!–and through our Alabama High School Literary Arts Awards. We support the work of our state’s literary community through our Alabama Authors Directory, First Draft magazine, and other programming and opportunities for writers across the state. And we celebrate our state’s rich literary legacy through the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame. We are, above all, a community of writers united by our desire to advance the literary arts in Alabama. If that describes you — join us! There are many ways to get involved.
Birding to Change the World
Birding to Change the World By Trish O’Kane HarperCollins Publishers, 2024 Hardcover: $29.99 Genre: Nonfiction, Environmental Reviewed by William Deutsch Every Spring, I teach a Birding Basics course through the Lifelong Learning Institute at Auburn University. I love watching septuagenarians become children in an Alabama park, with eyes wide open and mouths agape upon seeing a bird in full breeding plumage recently returned from the tropics. But that amazement is often followed by a quizzical look and pensive mood: Why is this the first time I’ve noticed this little gem? They’ve been all around me for decades. Why wasn’t I more aware? That revelation and accompanying questions are what started author Trish O’Kane on her journey of birding, teaching, and environmental activism, condensed into her new memoir, Birding to Change the World. The book begins at the University of Vermont, where she teaches a Birding to Change the World course. To her students’ amazement, she admits that she’s an “accidental birder and accidental teacher” who came to both in middle age because of a visit to [...]
