Description
Poetry for the wild soul.
In his first collection of poetry, Quinn Bailey has crafted a book that is meant to live in your backpack. To be carried with you as companion, field guide, and friend as you traverse the wilderness of life. Inspired as much by the words of poets like Mary Oliver and Jim Harrison as by the songs of the trees and the birds, the poems within arise from a deep love of the natural world and call attention to the power an outer landscape has — to be all at once, mirror, compass, and divination tool for our inner landscape.
Maybe our job is that of the
Birds,
Simply to collect the soft things
Of the world
And sing about it.
Pulling from his years of experience working as a nature connection mentor and wilderness rites of passage guide, this book serves as a waypoint to anyone who has come to a threshold and needs to be reminded that
“This world has only two true directions, towards and away. The big fear, in the end, is to awake and find that you chose away.”
Like most things, these poems are best when shared, especially outside, especially out loud, and especially with the more than human world.
About the Author
Quinn Bailey is a poet, naturalist, and wildlife tracker who for the last six years has been working with both youth and adults at the Wilderness Awareness School. As a graduate of The Immersion at Wilderness Awareness School, The Immersion Leadership Program, and Tracking Intensive, Quinn has developed a passion for helping people find a deeper connection to the natural world through ancestral skills such as bird language, wilderness living, and cultural mentoring. Growing up between Orcas Island, Washington, and Big Sur, California, he discovered a strong sense of belonging and curiosity about the natural world and feels most at home wandering the wooded hills and rocky shores surrounding the Salish Sea where he now lives. You can find out more about Quinn’s work at quinnbailey.com.