John Bicknell has a love of birds that has kept him awake at night. In fact, the Bargo poet has dedicated a book of poems to the feathered creatures.
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John’s love for birds began with a wander through the Milk Factory Art Gallery in Bowral where birdlife paintings chirped an idea he couldn’t ignore.
“Sobrane Simcock had an exhibition in the Milk Factory and one day I walked in and I saw all these paintings of birds,” John said.
“I purchased a painting of a Blue Herring which appears in my book. I woke up in the early hours of the next morning with a poem in my head. I couldn't go back to sleep so I went and wrote it down. The next night, I awoke again with three more poems in my head. I now have 46 in total. There’s 18 in my first book.”
Birds ‘n’ Words is the name of John’s book. It’s sold so well, he needs more printed to meet demand.
“I could only afford to get 100 printed in the beginning,” John said.
“I’ve found there’s a big demand for the book, so I’m scraping up enough money to print another 100.”
Bird 'n' Word's Illustrator, Jacqui Brown said creating the artwork for the book was an amazing experience and very inspiring.
“My favorite illustration was the Pipit,” she said. “It was a mother and her little child, it was very heartfelt and earthy.”
The second and third books featuring John’s remaining, unpublished poems, are scheduled for an August/September release.
“I’ve got to get them all down on paper because I’m just about to turn 80,” John said. “If I don’t get them down soon, I may just fall off the planet without them being shared.”
