MARY ANN, I AM JUMPING IN THERE TO SEE IF YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO OPEN UP YOUR FILE OF BIRD POEMS TO ME. I AM IN THE DREADED FINAL STAGES OF COMPILING AN ANTHOLOGY OF BIRD POEMS FOR COLUMBIA U PRESS. A HAVE OVER 100 POEMS BUT WOULD LIKE A BIGGER FLOCK TO PICK FROM. THE BOOK WILL BE UNLIKE THE (MANY) OTHER BOOKS OF BIRD POEMS IN THAT IT WILL BE ILLUSTRATED BY DAVID SIBLEY AND IT WILL CONTAIN AVIAN INFORMATION NORMALLY FOUND ONLY IN FIELD GUIDES. THE MARKET IS BIRDERS WHO READ POETRY (THERE SEEMS TO BE AN OVERLAP HERE, NOT SURPRISINGLY.) SO, THE POEMS HAVE TO BE VERY SPECIES-SPECIFIC (NOT JUST "I SAW A BIRD") AND SHOULD TAKE THE BIRD AS THEIR SUBJECT, RATHER THAN JUST USING THE BIRD METAPHORICALLY. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS PREFERRED. IF YOU THINK YOU COULD BE OF ANY HELP, I WOULD MUCH APPRECIATE IT.

BILLY COLLINS