A June Indie Next Pick!

“Dead Bees Still Sting shines light into how we can ‘be’ (in this case, ‘bee’!) in right relationship with our rapidly changing planet.”
—Psychology Today

"Dead Bees Still Sting is a delightful essay collection that celebrates nature from the vantage of life on a small farm."
—Foreword Reviews

"Cormier depicts her rural life with reverence and humor, in which birth and death are both routine and consequential, in a way that will be relatable to all readers."
—Library Journal

“Beekeeper and poet Cormier debuts with a poignant collection of essays on life on her Canadian farm, an enclave teeming with wild and domestic animals surrounded by encroaching development. Evocative and lyrical, this is a moving portrait of a life lived in tune with nature."
—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

br>“Cormier somehow splits the veil that divides us from the rest of nature, giving readers respectful insights into the actions and lives of wildlife and opening up a world that is often hidden from city dwellers. Come for the bees, stay for these beautifully written observations.”
—Booklist, STARRED review

“We could all hope to be as empathetic as Cormier amid the chaos... A love letter to the pastoral for the everyday reader."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Fearless and often funny, beekeeper/poet Susan Cormier leads us to astonishment and awe in the humble but liminal spaces where wild and tame meet at her homestead. I loved every gorgeously-written and surprising page."
—Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus

“Electric, alive, and tender, Cormier's world is one of deep entanglement and ethical implication. How do we live with the natural world in a time when the borders between domestication and wildness are blurred—and how do we grapple with its changes? This book, playful and direct at once, offers a path.”
—Jessica J. Lee, author of Dispersals and Two Trees Make a Forest

“Dead Bees Still Sting is a gift. With humor and insight, Susan Cormier gets us to reconsider honeybees and the dedicated souls who are beekeepers. Indelible animals, wild and domestic, scurry through these pages. The next time I observe a covey of quail, I will fondly recall Cormier's ‘dorky pet quail.’”
—Priyanka Kumar, author of Conversations with Birds and The Light Between Apple Trees

“Susan Cormier’s Dead Bees Still Sting is a strikingly original meditation on the sweetness and pain of being alive. A masterclass on the art of the personal essay.”
—Candace Savage, author of A Geography of Blood

"There’s a new, bracing voice in the tired world of nature writing. Cormier is brave, smart, and doesn’t mess around—a savvy, business-like poet who cuts to the chase. She’s desperately needed."
—Charles Foster, author of Being a Beast

“Gentle meditations on what we nurture and care for, on what we bury and what we unearth, on the twisting flow of life and a human relationship with the most enigmatic of creatures. A braided love letter to a pastoral life of joy and heartbreak that added a moment of quiet at the end of each busy day. A book that city dwellers would do well to read.”
—Marc Hamer, author of How to Catch a Mole

“Susan shares with the reader rich details of life surrounded by nature in Canada within chapters that feel more like vignettes….Beautiful and down to earth, this journey into a world without screens and the internet is a balm for these times. I loved it.”
—Shannon Alden, Literati Bookstore

“Dead Bees Still Sting is a beautifully written, poignant homage to the peace and joy that comes from living with or close to nature. This is truly a do-not-miss book for your library.”
—Linda Bond, Auntie’s Bookstore

“Dead Bees Still Sting is a balm for the soul in these chaotic times.…This is one I’ll be going back to again and again.”
—Pat Rudebusch, Orinda Books

Susan Cormier is a spoken word artist, filmmaker, beekeeper, and caretaker of assorted small critters. Her lyrical essay “Advice to a New Beekeeper” won the CBC Nonfiction Prize and her writing has appeared in numerous publications and anthologies. She has received recognition in multiple literary competitions and is known for her dynamic, engaging readings. Cormier produces Vancouver Story Slam, Canada's longest-running live indie storytelling competition. She lives in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.

Prologue: Storm

PART 1: SPRING
Advice to a New Beekeeper
Aria
Fences
Rude

PART 2: SUMMER
Starfishes
Three Grams
Schrödinger’s Sting
Diner

PART 3: AUTUMN
Bill
Sustenance
A Throne for Your Heaven
High Tea With Royalty

PART 4: WINTER
Burying the Bones
Things I Have Unearthed While Digging Holes
Beyond Science
Fawn

Pandora’s Boxes
Catch

PART 5: SPRING
Rearview Mirror
Housewarming
Once Upon a Holly Tree
Fledge

Epilogue: Exodus
A Rural Lexicon