LYRICS FROM THE SKY
A BIRDSONG WORKSHOP WITH TINA MOZELLE BRAZIEL
REGISTRATION CLOSES WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27 @ 12AM
$25 / SPACE IS LIMITED
The enchanting realm of bird song has long been the inspiration of music, stories, and creative writing. Join Alabama Audubon and the talented poet, Tina Mozelle Braziel, at Birmingham’s beautiful Avondale Park in Birmingham for this unique two-part workshop that explores bird song and how it can inspire some of our best poetry writing.
DAY 1 / MARCH 28 @ 7PM To prepare for the poetry writing workshop, Alabama Audubon Program Coordinator, Andrew Lydeard, will lead a hybrid online course to delve into the basics of bird song. As the Alabama winter begins to end, many of its resident birds will begin practicing their springtime breeding songs. This hour-long course is the perfect opportunity to familiarize yourself with some of these locals before migrants add more music to the symphony of spring.
DAY 2 / MARCH 30 @ 9AM The following Saturday, our workshop continues at Avondale Park, where participants will get the creative juices flowing by immersing themselves in a short, guided bird walk led by Andrew. Following the walk to different areas within the park, Tina will guide you in a writing exercise that will teach you how to weave bird song into an original poem.
We will then break off to brainstorm, draft some of our thoughts, and begin our writing journey. We will take about an hour to break for lunch. Bring a sack lunch or plan to grab something nearby at one of the local restaurants. After lunch, Tina will provide valuable feedback about your first drafts and guide participants in refining their creations.
The culmination of this artistic exploration unfolds as friends and family gather to witness the presentations of these avian-inspired masterpieces at the event's finale at the Avondale Amphitheater.
We invite you to join as we discover the wonders of bird song and seek writing inspiration from favorite vocalists like Carolina Wrens and Blue Jays!
BLUE JAY Sarah Hughes / Audubon Photography Awards
ABOUT TINA MOZELLE BRAZIEL
Tina Mozelle Braziel is the author of Known by Salt (Anhinga Press), winner of the Philip Levine Prize for Poetry, and Rooted by Thirst (Porkbelly Press). She has been awarded a fellowship from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and an artist residency at Hot Springs National Park.
As the first Eco-Poetry Fellow for Magic City Poetry Festival, she collaborated with the Cahaba River Society to create eco-poetry curriculum and videos. She leads poetry writing hikes for The Friends of the Locust Fork and serves on the Board of Directors of The Friends of Big Canoe Creek. She and her husband, novelist James Braziel, live and write in a glass cabin that they are building by hand on Hydrangea Ridge. Their collaborative collection of poems, Glass Cabin, will be released in 2024 by Pulley Press.
NEED-TO-KNOW
DAY 1 LOCATION / In-person or online The in-person portion of the event event will be held at the Alabama Audubon offices at 2835 Highland Avenue S, Birmingham. Those attending the course in-person should meet at the Alabama Audubon offices promptly at 7pm on Thursday, February 22. For those who choose to participate online, a Zoom link will be sent via email on the day prior to the event.
DAY 2 LOCATION / Avondale Park at 4101 5th Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35222. We will be meeting in the Avondale Park parking lot promptly at 9:00am to depart for the bird walk portion of the event. We will complete the workshop in the amphitheater area. There are restrooms and water fountains available at this location, and parking is free.
ACCESSIBILITY The Alabama Audubon offices are located on the first floor and are fully accessible. There are restrooms located in the building. Please let us know if you require special accomodations. Parts of Avondale Park will be on accessible terrain, but there are also slopes on uneven, unpaved trails and ground. Plenty of birding can be done from the paved paths which can be found throughout the park.
REQUIRED Participants are required to register online. Please do not request registration for others when submitting your registration.
CANCELLATION & REFUNDS Full refunds will be offered only to those who cancel no less than 7 days prior to the event. A partial refund will be offered only if Day 2 at Avondale Park is cancelled or rescheduled by Alabama Audubon per inclement weather considerations or emergency. In such an event, we will make every effort to reschedule the event with priority registration for those affected by the cancellation.
EQUITY, DIVERSITY, & INCLUSION
Through more than seventy-five years of conservation work in one of our nation’s most ecologically rich states, Alabama Audubon has seen firsthand how diversity strengthens natural communities. This same principle applies to human communities, which is why our organization is committed to providing equitable and inclusive opportunities for all Alabamians to learn about and enjoy wild birds, their habitats, and the natural world. One of the best ways to support that belief is by valuing and actively seeking to strengthen diversity among our staff, our board, and our membership. To that end, Alabama Audubon welcomes everyone to participate in our work, and strives to make our programs, classes, and events welcome, inclusive, and accessible to all.