What’s Nadja Lubiw-Hazard Reading?
One of my summer projects this year was to take a course on nature journalling, something I’ve always wanted to do, because of my life-long love of nature and animals. I just finished the final lesson in Nature Journaling and Field Sketching, delivered online through Cornell Lab Bird Academy, a day or two ago. It was great fun, but I also found it to be very meditative, requiring a settling into stillness and a deep and sustained attention on the details of what was before me, whether that was the yellow button-like flowers of a tansy, or the shaggy crest of feathers on a kingfisher’s head.
So I was delighted to discover Amy Tan’s newest book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles, which is my current read. The pages are filled with diary entries and beautiful original sketches that show a keen eye for detail, and capture Tan’s passion for her backyard birds.
“I love the intimacy of the book – both in relationship to the author/artist and to the birds that are being watched.”
Having just finished my nature journalling course, I appreciated the wonderful artistry, and insightful observations. The book is an ode to creativity and curiousity, and a reminder to find the beauty in small things.
Nadja Lubiw-Hazard is a Toronto-based writer and a veterinarian. Her books include the novel The Nap- Away Motel, and the children’s chapter book, TIZZY & ME: Fifteen Ways to Love a Mink. Her short stories have been published in Understorey, Room, Canthius, The Fiddlehead, The Dalhousie Review, and The New Quarterly. Nadja facilitates writing workshops with The Writers Collective of Canada, and with CAMH Collaborative Learning College. She lives with her wife, their two adult daughters, and a feisty fluffy cat. www.nmlhazard.com.