The Lord God Bird

Summary:

An innovative story about the rediscovery of the Ivory Billed Woodpecker in Brinkley, Arkansas that blends interviews and an original song by Sufjan Stevens.

Website:

http://www.longhaulpro.org

Additional Credits and Funding:

Funded in part by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, The National Endowment for the Arts, and The Illinois Humanities Council.

Tones:

Contemplative, Engaging, Melancholic

Language:

English

Description:

Brinkley, Arkansas, is located just a few miles from where the Ivory Billed Woodpecker recently was rediscovered. The Ivory Bill had been thought to be extinct… in fact, the previous confirmed sighting of the bird in the United States was in Louisiana back in 1944, in what was known as the Singer Tract, an area which was clear-cut to make sewing machine boxes, and then ammunition cases and caskets during World War Two.

The rediscovery of the Ivory Bill was big news, and brought a ray of hope to the residents of Brinkley. Producers Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister spoke with people in the town, then shared the interviews with singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens. Collison and Meister were curious about how Stevens writes his songs, which, much like their own work, are filled with stories of places and people. He wrote a song about the Ivory Bill, known as the 'lord god or 'great god' bird. Together, they offer this portrait of Brinkley--and the bird.

New to PRX?

Learn More | Sign Up