Invitation to Listen

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Robin Wall Kimmerer, Invitation to Listen: The Poetry of Plain, Air is a poetic and practical guide that reimagines how we listen to nature. In English with Potawatomi translation by Justin Neely, this lyrical, multilingual text invites us to reconnect with the vibrant world around us: the crickets calling in our neighborhoods, the birds flying overhead, and the ground supporting us each day. Kimmerer illustrates a form of attention that engages all of our senses in a practice of listening. Crafted in response to composer Tonia Ko’s Plain, Air—a six-movement piece inspired by Lake Michigan and performed by Chicago’s Spektral Quartet—Kimmerer’s meditative writings weave through the movements of Ko’s score. Accessible online, a recording of Plain, Air is a companion to the book. Invitation to Listen: The Poetry of Plain, Air is an invitation to slow down, take notice of our surroundings, engage with our senses, and listen to the voices of lives everywhere. What could happen, Kimmerer entreats, if we listened deeply every day? With pages for notes, this beautifully designed, field guide-sized book can easily travel with the reader, serving as a tool for wonder, attention, and our collective listening practices.