We are excited to present Deceleration’s first foray into DIY publishing—an avian-themed poetry zine called Words for Birds 2020: Poetics for Pandemics. Read it here … with two bonus features for our online readers.
Marisol Cortez
When the pandemic nixed Words for Birds, an annual workshop and reading held at Mitchell Lake Audubon Center during National Poetry Month, the thirteen writers who had signed up to read decided against another online event. Instead, they reconvened on the page. Edited and produced by Marisol Cortez, Deceleration co-editor and member of Stone in the Stream/Roca en el Rio environmental writers’ group, here is their collective work in digital zine format. Click the four expanding arrows on the bottom right of the document’s tool bar to open the document in full screen:
W4B special bonus feature #1: Deceleration‘s eleventh podcast, an analogue interview via landline with poet Jim LaVilla-Havelin, co-founder of both Words for Birds and Stone in the Stream/Roca en el Río. Starting with the origins of the event and moving to a deeper consideration of the special significance of birds for environmental writers–other than the fact that “birds” conveniently rhymes with “words”–the podcast concludes with Jim reading his poem “Kinetic Identity,” included in the zine.
W4B special bonus feature #2: Open mic slayer Rohn Bayes reads “The Eagle’s Cry” (also included in the zine, but which must be seen/heard for fullest appreciation):
Enjoy!
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