EVERETT – Van Gogh, Shakespeare, the Hopi and Kayukon people, Mark Twain, the Baltimore Ravens and the rock band Counting Crows have something in common.
They all draw inspiration from some of our most common but least understood birds, said John Marzluff, a University of Washington wildlife professor and co-author of the book “In the Company of Crows and Ravens.”
“Most birds do not fare well in our company, but crows and ravens live in our largest cities and smallest villages,” Marzluff wrote in an e-mail interview. “They are smart, adaptable problem solvers. Again, not usual adjectives for birds.”
On Sunday, Marzluff plans to give a talk and slide show at Everett Public Library, highlighting the ties that bind the mysterious songbirds with humans.
The event kicks off the Everett Public Library’s Reading in the Rain series, a new adult reading program that will run through April.
In his book, illustrated and co-written by Tony Angell, Marzluff draws attention to the clever and complex birds that he says are more aptly described as flying monkeys because of their intellect.
For example, some urban crows have learned to recognize the McDonald’s logo, choosing McDonald’s bags over plain bags containing identical food.
Crop-eating crows near farms have learned the ranges of guns and have adjusted their nesting habits to keep just out of reach.
Like humans, they develop pair bonds, cooperate to care for the young and invalid, perform complicated social rituals, have regional dialects and learn to convey knowledge to other crows.
Both loved and hated, the crow, and its larger cousin the raven, have made an imprint on human culture that is quite possibly unmatched in the animal kingdom.
Beyond art, literature and folklore, our language is peppered with numerous references to the jet-black birds: as the crow flies, eat crow, Jim Crow, crowbar and scarecrow are a few examples.
They hold a special place in American Indian folklore as mischievous shape-shifters and in Western poetry and art as harbingers of death.
Who could forget some of the last lines in Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven”:
“Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!
Quoth the raven, Nevermore.”
Then there’s Van Gogh’s haunting and dreary “Wheat Field With Crows,” presumably painted shortly before his suicide.
“In the Company of Crows and Ravens” was published by Yale University Press in October. A paperback version is due out in May.
Incoming library director Eileen Simmons said the program is part of a marketing push to promote services offered at the library.
She said many people don’t realize that the library has kits available for book groups and other services, such as NextReads, an online monthly newsletter that alerts people to new books available at the library.
Upcoming book signings
Sunday: John Marzluff, author of In the Company of Crows and Ravens, is scheduled to give a talk and then sign books.
March 3: Gary Krist, author of White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway Disaster and Americas Deadliest Avalanche
March 4: Karen Fisher, author of The Sudden Country
March 18: Matt Briggs, author of Shoot the Buffalo
April 22: Susan Wiggs, author of The Winter Lodge
April 29: Debra Dean, author of The Madonnas of Leningrad
All events begin at 2 p.m. in the auditorium at the Everett Public Librarys main branch, 2702 Hoyt Ave., except the April 22 event, which will be at the Evergreen Branch, 9512 Evergreen Way.
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