Paper Lanterns
poems by Gerry Sloan

Reading and booksigning
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 7 pm
at Nightbird Books on Dickson in Fayetteville

Gerry Sloan’s poetry “orchestrates a life of observation and attention, of figurative ideas captured in verse, and of love for the things of this world. It is divided into suites linked thematically and delicately by family, politics, history, music, love, and loss. ‘I think about the crazy / creatures we’ve become— / our constant contradictions, / predilection for metaphor— / towns named after conditions / for the lives we share and are.’ Gerry Sloan’s command of metaphor, tone, and rhythm together with his keen eye for the contradictions of everyday life make for a powerful volume” (quote by Zohreh T. Sullivan). Gerry Sloan is a professor of music at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, and his poetry has appeared in such journals as Yarrow, Negative Capability, The Nebraska Review, North Dakota Quarterly, The Christian Science Monitor, and the Anthology of Magazine Verse & Yearbook of American Poetry.

In the Province of Birds
A Memoir from Western Arkansas
by Joseph C. Neal

Joe Neal’s In the Province of Birds takes the reader along the highways and byways of western Arkansas, with stops at the intersections of family, faith, friendship, art, and science. What fuels the journey? Birds. From a common Northern Cardinal nesting in a backyard tree to a rare Prairie Falcon soaring over a former tallgrass prairie, birds are at the heart of this collection of essays. Even so, Neal’s writings go far beyond an account of days spent with binoculars and field guide. At once biologist, historian, hippy, father, and companion, Neal’s life experiences color each essay. Illustrated with photos of flora, fauna, and friends, In the Province of Birds offers a unique perspective on nature, ecology, and humanity.

Available at Nightbird Books!

The Birdside Baptist
And Other Ornithological Mysteries
by Joseph C. Neal

Join us for programs and booksignings:
Saturday, November 20 at 7 pm
at Nightbird Books on Dickson in Fayetteville
Saturday, December 4 at 11 am
at the Shiloh Museum in Springdale

In The Birdside Baptist, Joe Neal sees the world through a birder’s binoculars, but also through the eyes of an Arkansan who was brought up wearing shiny black shoes to five church services every week. These collected essays, originally written for fellow subscribers of a birders’ listserve, are reports from the field spanning eight years, from 2002 to 2010. Illustrated with Neal’s crisp photographs, he paints a rich landscape of plants, animals, and human history, including the struggle of a community to balance booming development and environmental stewardship.

Available at Nightbird Books!

A Little Lazarus
poems by Mendy Knott

Mendy Knott’s poetry is full of imagery and metaphor, thick with the juicy stuff of the senses. Part narrative,part song, these are poems about the physical body, the blood of sacrifice, an unforgettable communion of spirits—human and otherwise.