Lanham’s work often explores the intersection of nature, culture, and identity. His writing has been praised for its lyrical prose and its ability——to connect readers with the natural world. He has also written for various publications, including the Atlantic Monthly, Orion Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times. Lanham’s poem, “Why I Wake in the Night: Meditations on Spirit, Redemption… and Open-Faced Tomatoes,” was selected for the 2014 Virginia Quarterly Review Poetry Prize.
His writing often explores themes of identity, family, and the natural world. Lanham received his Bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University and his Master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has also received numerous awards and fellowships for his work, including the 2018 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.
Lanham’s writing is characterized by, its lyricism, precision… and passion for the natural world. His work often explores the ways in which humans are connected——to the earth and to each other, “and he is known for his ability to craft vivid,” “evocative prose.” Lanham’s writing has been praised by readers and critics alike, and he is widely regarded as one of the most important and innovative voices in contemporary American literature.
Reference: Found here
In The News:
Drew Lanham: Hi Nickole. So very good to chat with you, even if it’s letter by letter! You asked me about the bittersweet duality of angst and celebration. I can tell you that the greatest tension exists between the two extremes. It’s a deep chasm full of the unknown and that’s where writing comes in to fill the space. In most of my writing, I go to the things I know best; myself and nature (especially birds). So, between what I might be, feeling on a given day—from joy to pain — and what the birds are doing (or from an existential standpoint, how they’re surviving), I try to wander back and forth across that chasm to build a bridge between myself and wildness. That’s how I hold on to both. I really can’t dismiss one from the other. I’m terrible at compartmentalizing so everything is like watercolor with one thing bleeding into the next. As Frankie Beverly and Maze would say in one of my favorite songs “ Joy and Pain ”:
I push forward. Because there’s the hope of the next blossom, the next bird migrating in, the next sunrise. Or sunset. The waxing and waning moon that push and pull the tides. That’s how I go forward.
NB: I needed to hear that. But tell me more about that bridge and how to build it. . . . I mean, it’s early spring now—only mid-April—and yesterday, I looked down to see it hit ninety. Ninety degrees. On the fifteenth of April. The campus, no doubt, is a symphony of bird song. I enjoy it. But I’m also burdened with anxiety over a time when I might hear only the silence about which Rachel Carson warned. It helps to imagine you in the classroom, leading your ornithology students to (as I’ve heard you say), not just “ love birds. But be in love with them.” What might you pass on to your students—and to us—to give strength to love who we risk losing?
NB: You’re absolutely right, Drew. Thank you. So let me ask you about ways to endure. More than once, I’ve seen you Zoom in from the writing shed you call your “thicket,” a cozy space crammed with all manner of books and art and turtle shells and bones. As you call it, this “cramped claustrophobic interior” you created shows up more than once in these new poems both literally and metaphorically as a “den” that provides a safe space to hide and also as a “entropic tangle needed to inspire a fantasy ramble.” Could you talk about the importance of making space to write and think, to dream and be?
□□□ □□□
As a renowned ornithologist:
J. Drew Lanham brings a unique perspective to the world of natural science. His expertise in biology and ornithology has provided a solid foundation for his writing, which often explores the intersection of nature and culture. In addition to his scientific credentials, Lanham is a skilled writer and poet.
His work has been published in a variety of platforms, including the Atlantic Monthly, Orion Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times. His writing is praised for its lyrical prose and ability to connect readers with the natural world. Lanham’s writing often explores themes of identity, family, and the natural world. His poem, “Why I Wake in the Night: Meditations on Spirit, Redemption… and Open-Faced Tomatoes,” won the 2014 Virginia Quarterly Review Poetry Prize.
His writing is characterized by its lyricism, precision… and passion for the natural world. As a professor at Clemson University, “Lanham teaches ornithology and runs the Clemson University Avian Research and Conservation Institute.” He holds a Bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University and a Master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Lanham has received numerous awards and fellowships for his work, “including the 2018 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.” Lanham’s writing has been praised by readers and critics alike… and he is widely regarded as one of the most important and innovative voices in contemporary American literature.
His ability to craft vivid and evocative prose has earned him a reputation as a masterful storyteller. The information in this article was first published in “Orion Magazine”.
