‘Human breath is about all we’ll be left with if we’re not careful. Why not try to breath alongside others? Why not try to make the stories that matter?’ asked keynote speaker Laura Jean McKay in a keynote at this year’s Small Press Network’s Independent Publishing Conference.
McKay is the author of a prize-winning novel, The Animals in That Country, that canvasses a virus with the uncanny ability for humans and animals to communicate with one another. To illustrate the importance of other species, McKay opened her address with a list of all the animals she has seen recently (about 100 birds and 1000 insects) and a request for viewers to think about a significant animal encounter they’ve had themselves.
