Birdsplaining — A Natural History

Disgrifiad Cymraeg / Welsh Description

Heb yr un ymddiheuriad, mae Birdsplaining yn canolbwyntio ar brofiadau unigryw merched o fyd natur ac ar y cyfyngiadau a osodir ar y profiad. Eir ar drywydd munudau o deimlo'n fyw â gwir awch, wynebu ofn bradychiad y corff, a theithio ar draws Cymru, yr Alban, Califfornia a'r Dwyrain Canol. Weithiau'n gyffro i gyd ond bob amser yn foesegol, dyma ddrycholwg newydd ar fyd natur.

Disgrifiad Saesneg / English Description

In pursuit of moments of feeling 'sharply alive' and confronting fear of the body's betrayals, Birdsplaining is focused unapologetically on the uniqueness of women's experience of nature and constraints placed upon it. Sometimes bristling, always ethical, it upends familiar ways of seeing the natural world.

Dosbarthu

Byddwn yn dosbarthu eitemau sydd mewn stoc o fewn 3 diwrnod gwaith, fel arfer drwy Royal Mail Tracked 48. Ar gyfer archebion o flaen llaw, byddwn yn dosbarthu’r eitem o fewn 3 diwrnod gwaith ar ôl ei derbyn gan ein cyflenwr.

Dispatch

In-stock items will be dispatched within 3 business days, usually by Royal Mail Tracked 48. For pre-orders, we’ll dispatch within 3 business days of receiving the item from our supplier.

Bywgraffiad yr Awdur / Author Biography

Jasmine Donahaye's work has appeared in the New York Times and The Guardian , and her documentary, 'Statue No 1', was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Her books include the memoir, Losing Israel (2015), winner of the nonfiction category in the Wales Book of the Year award; a biography of author Lily Tobias, The Greatest Need (2015), the basis for 'O Ystalyfera i Israel', broadcast by S4C; the cultural study Whose People? Wales, Israel, Palestine (2012), and two collections of poetry: Misappropriations (2006) and Self-Portrait as Ruth (2009). She is a part-time professor of Creative Writing at Swansea University, and a fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.

Adolygiad y Cyhoeddwr / Publisher Review

Winner of the 2021 New Welsh Writing Awards: Rheidol Prize for Prose with a Welsh Theme or Setting 'Vivid, quick and iridescent, Birdsplaining is an absolute kingfisher of a book' - Mike Parker A wren in the house foretells a death, while a tech-loving parrot aids a woman's recovery. Crows' misbehaviour suggests how the 'natural' order, ranked by men, may be challenged. A blur of bunting above an unassuming bog raises questions about how nature reserves were chosen. Should the oriole be named 'green' or golden? The flaws of field guides across decades prove that this is a feminist issue. A buzzard, scavenging a severed ewe's leg, teaches taboos about curiosity. Whose poo is the mammal scat uncovered in the attic, and should the swallows make their home inside yours? The nightjar's churring brings on unease at racism and privilege dividing nature lovers, past and present. The skin of a Palestine sunbird provokes concern at the colonial origins of ornithology. And when a sparrowhawk makes a move on a murmuration, the starlings show how threat - in the shape of flood, climate change or illness - may be faced down. Jasmine Donahaye is in pursuit of feeling 'sharply alive', understanding things on her own terms and undoing old lessons about how to behave. Here, she finally confronts fear: of violence and of the body's betrayals, daring at last, to 'get things wrong'. Roaming across Wales, Scotland and California, she is unapologetically focused on the uniqueness of women's experience of nature and the constraints placed upon it. Sometimes bristling, always ethical, Birdsplaining upends familiar ways of seeing the natural world. 'Unusual, vivid... remarkably easy-to-read & enjoyable. Doesn't shy away from taking on difficult subjects... A means for personal reflection.' - BTO News [British Trust for Ornithology] 'An erudite, bold, questing and valid collection of beautifully written essays. Whilst one eye stays focused on the injustices and cruelties of the world, the other gulps in its jewels and preciousness. Moving, stirring, and vital.' - Niall Griffiths 'Superb... by turns moving, funny, illuminating... and... thought-provoking' - Katherine Stansfield 'Upends familiar ways of seeing the natural world and in doing so, creates its own ecological niche' - Karen Lloyd, Caught by the River 'A curiosity and passion so unapologetically alive that her words form wings' - Lotte Williams, Nation.Cymru 'Neither human-centred nor its opposite. Although she explores human grief, violence and recovery, Donahaye also has a beautifully conveyed passion for the unromantic aspects of the environment... She bridges the very gap [in nature writing] that she identifies.' - Saskia McCracken, The Welsh Agenda 'Whilst birds might not provide the answer to the meaning of life for Donahaye, they do have a part to play in finding meaning IN life, whether that be through personal symbolism and anecdotal encounters, or in larger questions about power and responsibility.' - Gwales.com 'A fresh way of looking at nature writing, a deeply personal account that embraces its own subjectivity' - Zoe Kramer, Wales Arts Review 'This is a beautiful collection where the nonhuman appears as a close neighbour... [and which] searches for hope and resilience in times of risk.' - Yvonne Reddick, New Welsh Reader