For Rhino in a Shrinking World

“It is not by accident that the pristine wilderness of our planet disappears as the understanding of our own inner wild nature fades”. Clarissa Pinkola Estes

It has long been my concern that as we become increasingly disconnected from ourselves in this fast moving world, we are simultaneously losing touch with our environment. The ruthless slaughtering of rhino for their horns is just one of the many visible signs of this disconnect.

Thankfully, however, there many ‘connected’ people in our society who are deeply concerned about the destruction of our planet, and who are trying to do something about it.

One such person who is determined to make a difference, is poet Harry Owen, inspired by wildlife veterinarian, Dr. William Fowlds, who earlier this year gave a talk about his experience of tending to the mutilated rhinos of Kariega Game Reserve. So appalled by what he heard, Harry put out a call to poets all over the world to submit their work for possible inclusion  into a poetry anthology, that speaks of the plight of the rhino and its environment. The response was overwhelming and after months of gathering and collating, Harry’s book For Rhino in a Shrinking World: An International Anthology of Poetry is finally at the publishers, due to be released before Christmas 2012.

For Rhino in a Shrinking World: An International Anthology of Poetry

When I heard the call for submissions, I wanted to be a part of the project, but not trusting my abilities as a poet, I offered to do the illustrations.

My offer was accepted and I have spent the past few months doing ink, charcoal and chalk pastel drawings that will go both inside the book and on the cover.

White Rhino – ink

Black Rhino – charcoal

Black Rhino – ink

To read more about the anthology and follow it’s progress towards publication, please visit Harry’s blog: http://rhinoanthology.wordpress.com/

And, if you are one of those people who would like to make a difference, but don’t know what to do, purchase copies of the book, as all funds raised will be going towards helping rhino anti-poaching units in the Eastern Cape.

It’s going to be a fantastic volume, and with Christmas round the corner, that’s your shopping done!

White Rhino – pencil

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