Learning to Love a Canary Yellow: Poems from the Birdcage and Beyond

By Austin D Howell

A lyrical ode to survival, sensuality, and the sacred self, Learning to Love a Canary Yellow is a breathtaking poetry collection that bridges mythology, memory, and modern queer experience.

From the haunting call of Medusa to the quiet ache of unspoken love, Austin Howell's poems walk the borderlands between divine and human, trauma and rebirth, shadow and sun. Each poem is a revelation-pulling from Greek mythology, gender fluidity, spiritual awakening, and the alchemical process of healing to craft a narrative both deeply personal and universally resonant.

With striking vulnerability and bold language, this collection speaks directly to those who have felt "too much," loved "too deeply," or stood at the intersection of faith, identity, and longing. Howell's voice is both prophet and poet, queer and questioning, calling the reader to reclaim the parts of themselves that were once silenced.

Perfect for readers of Ocean Vuong, Nayyirah Waheed, and Andrea Gibson, this book is a love letter to the unbecoming and becoming of self.

"Learn to love the canary yellow," it whispers. "It was never weakness to shine."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FJSNYXFJ
• ISBN13: 9798293696437
• Release Date: July 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 102 Pages
• Weight: 0.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"