The Thing with Feathers: birds and hope with Courtney Ellis

Gina and I became friends over social media a few years back. Then we became good friends when she started regularly texting me photos of Northern Cardinals. I live in California, you see, and those red beauties rarely make it out past the Rocky Mountains. What a gift!It was only then that I picked up Gina’s book: Dorothy & Jack: The Transforming Friendship of Dorothy L. Sayers and C.S. Lewis. and discovered that she is not only a generous cardinal photo-sender, but she’s a phenomenal writer as well. I learned so much from this book about two authors I’d admired for years but hadn’t known very deeply.Join Gina and me for a conversation about these two saints of the evangelical church, the power of friendship, and why cardinals just might be the world’s best birds. Plus, check out her fantastic SubStack, Dear, Strange Things and her fun blog about Charles Dickens. Get full access to Keep Looking Up at courtneyellis.substack.com/subscribe

Birding is for everyone, or so the popular saying goes. And it really is! You can bird if you’re young or old, bored or busy, a city-dweller or a rural homesteader. There are blind birder’s groups and those for the hearing-impaired. You can bird if you have mobility issues or disability of any kind. It’s always possible.Bu sometimes it’s more difficult than others. If you have any sort of physical limitations, you may need to know how flat the trail is. Is it wheelchair accessible? If you can’t hear well, you’ll need a birding guide to turn around when she speaks to the group so that you can see her lips move. There are a thousand ways to make birding more accessible. That’s where Freya MacGregor comes in.Freya is a consultant at Access Birding, a researcher at Virginia Tech whose work centers on improving access and inclusion for disabled birders. She’s also the author of the forthcoming book by Princeton University Press, A Field Guide to Accessible Birding in the United States. Originally from Australia, Freya comes to us from Tuscaloosa, Alabama.Whether you’re currently disabled, love someone who is currently disabled, or are looking toward your older years when disability is even more likely, this interview will be a gift to you. Freya’s joy is infectious, and her simple solutions for helping include everyone in the joy of birding are things I’ve already started to put into practice wherever I can.Do you have a disability or love someone who does? What strategies have you found for making birding more accessible? Get full access to Keep Looking Up at courtneyellis.substack.com/subscribe

Becca Rowland, aka The Girl in White Glasses, aka one of the funniest and most whimsical bird book writers I’ve had the pleasure to encounter, is a delight. She sees beauty everywhere, finds humor in unlikely places, and is making the world a better place one gentle bird joke at a time.Her new book, Bird Talk: Hilariously Accurate Ways to Identify Birds by the Sounds They Make cracked me up on nearly every page. It links bird sounds to common noises we hear every day - i.e., if it sounds like you’ve bent over and ripped your pants, what you’re hearing is a Turkey Vulture. These brilliant pairings are so helpful when it comes to identifying bird songs and the birds themselves. Whether you’re a new or experienced birder, the book is a gem—and a helpful one at that!I was asked to review Bird Talk for the Englewood Review of Books, and soon thereafter Becca was kind enough to join me for an interview here on The Thing with Feathers.Also: can I just say, if you’re struggling to buy a Christmas gift for that person who’s really hard to shop for, this book is a perfect choice. Whether they’re a birder or not, it’s a book to make them laugh, and one to put on the coffee table to make guests laugh, too. Get full access to Keep Looking Up at courtneyellis.substack.com/subscribe

Poet, essayist, critic, editor, and general literary jack-of-all trades Paul J. Pastor is one of those authors whose SubStack, The Rose Fire, I adore and whose publication dates I track. When is his next book coming out?Good news! The Locust Years, his newest book of poetry, just released from Wise Blood Books. This one is such a treat, my friends. Paul joins us on the show today to talk about all things hope, grief, poetry, birds, and why suffering can be very fertile ground for good art.Plus: he reads a few of his gorgeous poems for us. We also talk about the beaches of the Pacific Northwest, the unpredictability and gift of inspiration, and why you can’t fight Babylon with the weapons of Babylon—but you can fight it with poetry, with goodness, with beauty, and with life. Get full access to Keep Looking Up at courtneyellis.substack.com/subscribe

As a parent, helping my kids connect with the love and care of God through experiences in nature is one of my great joys. Whether it’s taking them to the park or going on a hike or just pointing out the cool bug that’s hanging out on our gutter, there are few things like the power and beauty of the natural world to inspire wonder.Valerie Ellis is a children’s book author who knows a thing or two about wonder. From giraffes to acorn woodpeckers, flamingos to sea otters, her beautiful new book, Wild Faith Devotional for Kids: 52 Amazing Animals that Point to One Great God is a delight.Whether you’re a parent, a grandparent, a Sunday School teacher, a babysitter, or just someone who loves animals and kids, this book is a gem.Come along with us as we unpack what makes a good children’s book, how children are natural conduits for wonder, and the connection between faith and God’s good creation. Get full access to Keep Looking Up at courtneyellis.substack.com/subscribe