Author J. Drew Lanham discusses what it means to embrace the full breadth of his African American heritage and his deep kinship to nature and adoration of birds. The convergence of ornithologist, college professor, poet, author, and conservation activist blend to bring our awareness of the natural world and our moral responsibility for it forward in new ways. Candid by nature—and because of it—Lanham examines how conservation must be a rigorous science and evocative art, inviting diversity and race to play active roles in celebrating our natural world.