I got my copy of How to Fly (In Ten Thousand Easy Lessons) by Barbara Kingsolver in the mail recently and I can't stop picking it up, flipping to a random page, and leaping off the cliff into its deep waters. I turn to it when the stress of Covid-19 overwhelms and my head hurts from problem-solving. The book is both an escape and a lesson at the same time. I usually come away from a passage with a smile and a point of clarity, as if my muddled brain was rewired by an expert electrician.
Her ability to slowly unwrap a message draws you past the end of one poem and into the next. But beyond the beautiful language and compositions, this book of poems speaks directly to our mission at Blue Ridge Discovery Center. It is an incredible combination of humanity and science interwoven through keen observations and creative critical thought. As a whole, the collection is truly a 21st-century perspective, mined from the vast body of knowledge compiled by centuries of forward-thinking scientists and naturalists that came before her.
No doubt the timing of this release is coincidental, but these poems are so fitting for our crazy pandemic times when each of us needs an extended hand to hold. There is something in this book for everyone, no matter your troubles or where you come from. The prose is uplifting, always tapping into positive potentials and even some of the darker-toned poems manage to be supportive in their truth-telling.
If you haven't picked this book up yet, trust me, you NEED to. Thank you Barbara for being a mother to us all and championing the BRDC mission!
-Aaron
PS Check out Ephemera on page 93 dedicated to BRDC!
