The Radiant Lives of Animals

Winner of the (Inaugural) 2022 National Book Foundation Science + Literature Award

From a celebrated Chickasaw writer, a spiritual meditation, in prose and poetry, on our relationship to the animal world, in an illustrated gift package.

Concerned that human lives and the natural world are too often defined by people who are separated from the land and its inhabitants, Indigenous writer and environmentalist Linda Hogan depicts her own intense relationships with animals as an example we all can follow to heal our souls and reconnect with the spirit of the world. From her modest forest home in Colorado, and venturing throughout the region, especially to her beloved Oklahoma, she introduces us to horses, packrats, snakes, mountain lions, elks, wolves, bees, and so many others whose presence has changed her life. In this illuminating collection of essays and poems, lightly sprinkled with elegant drawings, Hogan draws on many Native nations’ ancient stories and spiritual traditions to show us that the soul exists in those delicate places where the natural world extends into human consciousness—in the mist of morning, the grass that grew a little through the night, the first warmth of this morning’s sunlight. Altogether, this beautifully packaged gift is a reverential reminder for all of us to witness and appreciate the radiant lives of animals.PREFACE
The Great Without

PART ONE

Eagle Feather Prayer (poem)

One Creation (poem)

Re-minding

The Maps (poem): After a Visit to Tribal Archeological Sites

This Land I Live

The World Is a House of Words

The Enchanted Bedroom

The Enchantments

PART TWO

Elk Dog: The Horse

Indian Territory

Bear (poem)

The Daily Hours

The Wolves

Dawn for All Time

This Morning (poem)

One Mind

The Foxes: Praise to the Earth Beings

The Voice of the Crow

Mountain Lion (poem)

It Walks Away

Revelations

Kingbird at the Door

The Visitant

Watching Over (poem)

AcknowledgmentsPraise for the work of Linda Hogan

“Linda Hogan’s work is rooted in truth and mystery.”
—Louise Erdrich

“Words for healing.”
—Joy Harjo

“Breathtaking.”
—Barbara Kingsolver

“Essential.”
—Luis Alberto Urrea

“Evocative, true, and dangerous.”
—Terry Tempest Williams

“Absorbing and lyrical.”
—Paula Gunn Allen

“Powerful.”
—Tony Hillerman

“A marvel.”
—Jim HarrisonLinda Hogan (Chickasaw) is a poet, novelist, essayist, teacher, and activist. Her work illuminates environmental and Indigenous activism, as well as Native spirituality. She was born in Oklahoma and now lives and works in Idledale, Colorado, a town of 252 human souls. Her literary works have earned her awards and fellowships including a National Endowment of the Arts award, a Guggenheim, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of America, and, most recently, the Thoreau Prize from PEN and a Native Arts and Culture Award. Connect with Linda at lindahoganwriter.com.