This is another moment of serendipity and how the universe works to put in place the things that are meant to be. After my first, National Poetry Month, post about Mary Oliver and Wendell Berry, my friend Alexis touched base and asked if I’d heard of J. Drew Lanham. I hadn’t, so of course I looked him up . . . and then immediately ordered his collection, Sparrow Envy.

Dr. J. Drew Lanham is an ornithologist from Edgefield, SC and professor at Clemson University. He’s also an award-winning author and poet–his literary work rising from his life as a birder, hunter, and naturalist.

My book arrived last week, and Tuesday when I was searching through the Chewing the Gristle archives for an interview for today, there was Dr. Lanham! His interview is a little longer than the previous two I’ve shared, but so worth the listen as he explains his process, talks of birds, and how he wants even the brief life of a mayfly to have meaning.

Meet J. Drew Lanham

Sparrow Envy available through Hub City Press