The Bird and the Elephant by Dominic Smith

The Bird and the Elephant by Dominic Smith

The Bird and The Elephant starts with an introduction and is then broken up into 10 poetic discussions. It also features 11 beautifully drawn illustrations.

A bird is flying high one day when he decides he needs to take a rest. He glances down below and aims for a large rock. But it isn't a rock He shockingly discovers he's landed on an elephant's back. They begin having a conversation. The bird is impatient and hot headed while the elephant is calming and wise. Through their discussions the bird learns a lot about life and ultimately, himself.

The discussions are:

• Who are we?
• Where do we come from?
• Why are we here?
• Friendship
• Why do bad things happen?
• Happiness
• Morality
• Destiny
• Love
• Philosophy

Dominic Smith was born and raised in Australia, but now resides in Austin, Texas. Bright and Distant Shores, The Beautiful Miscellaneous, and Louis Daguerre's Mercury Visions are among his works. His short work has appeared in The Atlantic, Texas Monthly, and the Chicago Tribune's Printers Row Journal, among other journals, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He has received a new works award from the Australia Council for the Arts' Literature Board, as well as a Dobie Paisano Fellowship and a Michener Fellowship. He teaches writing at Warren Wilson College's MFA Program for Writers.