Listening to the Bees

by Mark L. Winston, Renee Sarojini Saklikar

Listening to the Bees  is a collaborative exploration by two writers to illuminate the most profound human Who are we? Who do we want to be in the world? Through the distinct but complementary lenses of science and poetry, Mark Winston and Renée Saklikar reflect on the tension of being an individual living in a society, and about the devastation wrought by overly intensive management of agricultural and urban habitats. Listening to the Bees  takes readers into the laboratory and out to the field, into the worlds of scientists and beekeepers, and to meetings where the research community intersects with government policy and business. The result is an insiders’ view of the way research is conducted―its brilliant potential and its flaws―along with the personal insights and remarkable personalities experienced over a forty-year career that parallels the rise of industrial agriculture.

Genres: Nonfiction, Poetry, Nature, Canada, Academia

192 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 2018

Reviews

[Melissa S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fall has somehow taken on a theme of biology-meets-philosophy--this is the third book I've read that explores these themes. I think I can say with some confidence that I have never read a book that combines science essays with poetry, and I was very fortunate to hear the authors read from this work, which definitely affected how I read the poems. I read quickly, but remembering Saklikar's voice as she read her poems, deliberate, measured and chant-like, made me slow down and try to really enjoy the musicality in the scientific terms she brings in from Winston's research. I also really enjoyed the range of Winston's essays, from his early experience with bees to his later outreach work. Winston is an advocate of plain language, which makes all of his essays very accessible.

Juxtaposition FTW!

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a light read drawing from Dr. Winston’s career and extensive knowledge and experience with bees. Some interesting prompts for thinking about the resilience of nature, lessons from bee society, and the removal of the personal from the scientific approach - but I felt the conclusions drawn were a bit shallow and sometimes not well explored. The interspersed poems were sometimes interesting and sometimes too contemporary for me. Good introductory book perhaps.

[AshleyYvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was thrilled to discover this book, a combination of essays linked by poetry - I have been on the hunt for the elusive poem about honey! - and although Mark Winston's writing was absolutely breathtaking, the poetry fragments were so disjointed, I, as with another reviewer, just ended up skipping the interruptions.

I understand how brevity and symbol words can hold a thousand worlds (I am a child of haiku after all), but these were mere words picked out of Saklikar's longer works, which was terribly disappointing. I know she's incredibly accomplished and had carefully curated her bee prose, but it was so unfulfilling with so many hacked sentences, I found it distracting to Winston's larger theme. It was too abstract for me.

Incidentally, I hunted down more of his bee books and will settle happily into his writing and will continue my hunt for honey-hued prose.

[Stephanie Helene · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories were wonderful I feel like I learned so much. I love how listening to the bees is literally what this whole book is about, learning what they can teach us about community, survival, resilience. And also so many amazing scientific nuggets and facts that are understandable to the non-scientist reader. As a musician, I do love the ties the authors make with music, nature and math. It’s really a special read.


The poetry was not my favorite. I love poetry and read a lot of it and I just could not get behind it. By the end I was honestly skipping the poems.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

A somewhat surprisingly engaging work of science and poetry; an intertwined dance of methodology and interpretation in examining the complex lives involving the instruction, structure, intuition and philosophy of bees.

[Tru · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot say enough good things about this book. If you are looking for a mix of art and science that will make you think, get this book.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really what I was expecting.

[Ciarra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A calming yet intellectually stimulating read which is perfect for anyone interested in the intersections between poetry and science.

[Andrea Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thoughts on this inspiring book ~ coming soon 😊

[Marianne Mersereau · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite sentence, and there are many wonderful passages, from this charming book combining science and poetry is this one: "Honeybees have persisted for forty million years based on that simple trade-off between individual accomplishment and the greater good, a celebration of the enduring splendour of survival."

[Marianne Mersereau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Renee's poems are a wonderful complement to the scientific studies discussed in this book. I especially enjoyed "And the Dance Most of All" which explores the special dance language that honeybees use to communicate with each other the location and distance of nectar sources.