Words of a Feather

Last year, amid the widespread cancellation of in-person events, Humanities Kansas leaders sought ways for Kansans to enjoy arts, literature and culture from the comfort of their homes—a concept they called “DIY humanities.” 

“Before the pandemic, so much of our work was focused on building community, which always meant bringing people together to engage with the humanities,” explains Leslie Bowyer VonHolten, c’96, g’15, director of grants and outreach at Humanities Kansas. “When we couldn’t get together anymore, we wanted to come up with ways that people could still engage with the humanities but do it safely within their own families, their own pods or on their own.”

VonHolten reached out to Megan Kaminski, associate professor of English and poetry at KU, to edit and co-write Words of a Feather, a chapbook of poems inspired by birds, published early this year. The book features illustrations by Prairie Village artist Brad Sneed, f’89, and the works of 10 poets, most of whom have ties to Kansas, including Kaminski, whose own poetry often explores the ways we interact with nature.

“It was really inspiring to be able to work on a project that was so attuned to connecting with large groups of people and with people who maybe don’t normally read poetry,” she says. “That really excited me. And I think that excitement was shared by the people I contacted.”