If Bees Are Few – A Hive of Bee Poems

• Editor: James P. Lenfestey
• Foreword: Bill McKibben
• Afterword: Marla Spivak

This collection of bee-related poetry is very diverse – there’s something for any kind of poetry lover. The poems are from all over the world and various time periods; people have been writing about bees for a very long time. It’s a well thought out selection, with a nice mix of modern poems along with ones from classic literature. While the first poem is hard and sharp, many of them mellow from there, though interspersed are poems with stronger emotions behind them as well.

What this book mostly is, however, is a book with a purpose. They wish to draw attention to the plight of bees’ survival in the world, in the hope that doing so may urge people to act to help save them (and by extension, us). It’s a call to action inspired by poetry.

All proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Bee Lab in the Department of Entomology at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Marla Spivak heads the Bee Lab’s research, and this book is dedicated to her and other bee researchers. If you’re interested in learning more about the plight of the bees, you can find Dr. Marla Spivak’s TED Talk, Why Bees Are Disappearing, here.

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I was given a digital advanced copy of this book from publishers registered with NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.