.This program, Flight Calls: Exploring Massachusetts through Birds,
is a slide show presentation with some readings from John Nelson’s
Flight Calls, published October 2019 by the University of Massachusetts
Press. The presentation combines stories about the author’s birding
experiences with an exploration of prime birding locations—the Great Marsh,
Mt. Auburn Cemetery--a brief history of bird study in our state, and literature
about birds by writers including Emily Dickinson. The program mixes in humor
with a serious look at bird conservation and the future prospects for Massachusetts birds.

John Nelson is the author of the essay collection Flight Calls: Exploring Massachusetts through Birds (2019) and Cultivating Judgment: A Sourcebook for Teaching Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum (2005) He has contributed creative nonfiction to many literary and nature magazines. His essay “Funny Bird Sex” from the Antioch Review was awarded a 2018 Pushcart Prize, and his narrative essay “Coming of Old Age in Samoa” in The Missouri Review has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. A professor emeritus at North Shore
Community College, John is the 2020 Visiting Writer at the college. He is currently teaching the course “Creative Nonfiction” at the Gloucester Writers Center.