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Katie Fallon is the author of the nonfiction books Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird, and Cerulean Blues: A Personal Search for a Vanishing Songbird. A finalist for the Reed Award for Outstanding Writing on the Southern Environment, …

“When you read this book you will know why I consider it to be the most eloquent and beautiful depiction of a vulture ever.” –Dr. Keith Bildstein

Katie has taught writing at Virginia Tech and WVU, and as Guest Faculty in the Low-Residency MFA Programs at West Virginia Wesleyan College and Chatham University. She has given presentations on teaching creative writing using experiential methods at meetings and workshops […]

Praise for VULTURE

  • Conservation Biology

    “This enthusiastic volume nicely proves that Turkey Vultures are spokesbirds for vultures and indicates new avenues for raptor studies in a rapidly changing world. This book should be on the shelves of ecologists, ornithologists, and conservationists.”

    - Conservation Biology
  • Forbes Magazine

    “This informative, beautifully written book will give you a deep appreciation for these beneficial but widely-maligned birds — and, who knows? You may even find yourself falling in love with vultures.”

    - Forbes Magazine
  • Janisse Ray, author of Ecology of a Cracker Childhood

    “Who would have suspected the astonishments of vultures? Katie Fallon has given us an ingenious, funny, delightful book.”

    - Janisse Ray, author of Ecology of a Cracker Childhood
  • Pete Dunne, New Jersey Audubon’s ambassador for birding & author

    “This is a book that begged to be written. . . . Fallon allows that the study of flying turkey vultures is akin to meditation. Rarely hurried, coursing the heavens like a setter seeks quail, this most widespread of North American vultures invites both contemplation and envy. . . . A book as inspired as the bird that is its focus.”

    - Pete Dunne, New Jersey Audubon’s ambassador for birding & author
  • Keith L. Bildstein, former Sarkis Acopian Director of Conservation Science at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

    “A heartfelt and authoritative account of the world’s most numerous and misunderstood avian scavenger. Writing in a style reminiscent of Edward Abbey and John McPhee, Fallon successfully captures the natural history of the species and its ability to succeed in both natural and man-made landscapes. Destined to change the mind of anyone who reads it.”

    - Keith L. Bildstein, former Sarkis Acopian Director of Conservation Science at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
  • David Gessner, author of All The Wild That Remains

    “Katie Fallon, who writes with elegance, humor, and restraint, tells the lost stories of the vulture tribe. This book will fill you with wonder.”

    - David Gessner, author of All The Wild That Remains
  • Scott Weidensaul, author of Living on the Wind

    “Fallon shines a bright light on this clan of sadly unloved birds, which are not only vitally important ecologically, but are also among the most imperiled avian groups on the planet.  Vulture is an overdue love letter to a bird that deserves far better than we’ve given it.”

    - Scott Weidensaul, author of Living on the Wind

Friends & Affiliations

Katie is proud to be one of Birds & Beans Coffee Company‘s “Voices for the Birds.” Check out their delicious–and triple-certified–coffees!

Some of the photography on these pages is provided by Katie’s favorite photographers, Richard Mallory Allnutt, Shannon Arbogast, Mike Brown, and Dick Rowe.

Katie is a member of several professional organizations, including the Associated Writers & Writing Programs, the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment, the Appalachian Studies Association, and the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators.