Field Notes for Extinction - by Mark Caskie (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The poems in this book reflect on mortality: that of humans and of other forms of life; even nonliving objects, imbued as they are with our very human associations. It gives perspective-we're all just passing through, although that does not result in meaninglessness. In fact, the close attention given to the subjects of the poems honors them. Field Notes for Extinction is a collection of poems that manages to be humble and powerful at the same time.

Review Quotes

Field Notes for Extinction is a work of rare equilibrium-lucid, tender, and unflinching. These poems trace the vanishing world with the calm precision of a scientist and the reverence of a pilgrim. The poet writes not from despair but from deep attention, transforming loss into a form of listening. Each poem feels both intimate and vast, grounded in observation yet alert to wonder.

The collection's quiet power lies in its restraint: grief becomes insight, and disappearance becomes a way of seeing more clearly. Field Notes for Extinction reminds us that to name what is ending is also to honor its having been-that poetry, at its best, preserves even as it mourns.

-Alberto Ríos, author of Every Sound Is Not a Wolf