We recently sat down with Thor Hanson, author of Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle, and asked him about his experience at literary events.
BIC: What are some of the “teachable” moments in your latest book, Feathers, that make it work well for a literary events program, especially those for college students?
TH: Feathers works well for literary events because it draws on so many different interests. A discussion of feather colors can start with Aztec tapestries, move on to the fashion industry, touch on the physics of pigments and iridescence, and end up at a Las Vegas show, where the dancers’ costumes attract the eye in the same way as a bird’s plumage. Similarly, the aerodynamics of feathers take you from the evolution of flying dinosaurs straight through the Wright Brothers and on to bio-mimicry, the hottest new trend in engineering. One of the most rewarding aspects of teaching about feathers is seeing people’s surprise at the many ways they touch our lives.
