Fall for the Book: We Should All Be Birds: A Memoir

Instructors: Brian Buckbee, Carol Ann Fitzgerald
Tuesday, 2:15—3:40, Oct. 7

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After losing the love of his life and then contracting a debilitating mysterious illness, Brian Buckbee stumbles upon an injured pigeon destined to save his life. In this heartwarming memoir, We Should All Be Birds, written with the help of editor Carol Ann Fitzgerald, we learn how nurturing wounded birds in Buckbee’s self-made bird rehabilitation center brings him out of isolation to explore his own chronic illness and grief in connection with the beauty of the natural world. As author Lia Purpura states, “Brian Buckbee has discovered a slower, more openhearted, humble stance toward living and creating, where small joy is in no way insubstantial, and where attention given freely—to the birds he cares for who ultimately care for him . . . creates unexpected forms of love and devotion.” This event is part of Fall for the Book’s festival lineup. For the full schedule, visit fallforthebook.org/schedule.
Brian Buckbee lives in Missoula, Montana. He is co-founder of The 406 Writers’ Workshop. His stories have appeared in The Sun, The Georgia Review, The Mid-American Review, Shenandoah, The Southern Review, and elsewhere.

Carol Ann Fitzgerald is a former editor at The Sun and The Oxford American. Her fiction and nonfiction have been published in Ploughshares, The Oxford American, The Sun, The OA Book of Great Music Writing, and elsewhere. She lives in Chapel Hill.