Description
Poetry. Monarchs are the most iconic of the North American butterflies and the only butterfly that migrates. Every fall, Monarchs travel to a winter home among the oyamel firs in Mexico, a journey of over 2,000 miles. This annual migration is threatened, however, by pesticides, climate change, and land development. Their numbers have plummeted by 80% in the last 20 years. Naturalists and citizen scientists (and poets!) are working to preserve this migration by increasing awareness of the Monarch's life cycle and preserving the habitat needed for its survival. These poems explore the myths and traditions associated with Monarch butterflies, while following their extraordinary journey from egg to caterpillar, to chrysalis and butterfly.
Author Bio
Cathryn Essinger is the author of four previous books of poetry, most recently WINGS OR DOES THE CATERPILLAR DREAM OF FLIGHT (Dos Madres Press, 2020) and THE APRICOT AND THE MOON, released this spring from Dos Madres Press. Her other books include A Desk in the Elephant House, from Texas Tech University Press, as well as My Dog Does Not Read Plato and What I Know About Innocence, both from Main Street Rag. Essinger's poems have appeared in a wide variety of journals including Poetry, The Southern Review, The New England Review, The Antioch Review, Rattle, and River Styx. Her poems have been nominated for Pushcarts and "Best of the Net," featured on The Writer's Almanac, and reprinted in American Life in Poetry. Essinger is a retired professor of English and a long standing member of The Greenville Poets. She lives in Troy, Ohio where she raises butterflies and tries to live up to her dog's expectations.
Author City: TROY, OH USA