Geese
Canada Goose, Branta canadensis  Distant geese honking (help·info)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Superorder:	Galloanserae
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Anserinae
Tribe:	Anserini
Genera
Anser Branta Chen and see text

Geese are waterfowl belonging to the tribe Anserini of the family Anatidae. This tribe comprises the genera Anser (the grey geese), Branta (the black geese) and Chen (the white geese). A number of other birds, mostly related to the shelducks, have "goose" as part of their name. More distantly related members of the Anatidae family are swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller.

Etymology[link]

Canada Goose gosling

The word goose is a direct descendant of Proto-Indo-European root, *ghans-. In Germanic languages, the root gave Old English gōs with the plural gēs and gandres (becoming Modern English goose, geese, and gander, respectively), New High German Gans, Gänse, and Ganter, and Old Norse gās. This term also gave Lithuanian žąsìs, Irish gé (goose, from Old Irish géiss), Latin anser, Greek chēn, Albanian gatë (heron), Sanskrit hamsī, Finnish hanhi, Avestan zāō, Polish gęś, Russian гусь, Czech husa, and Persian ghāz.^[1][2]

The term goose applies to the female in particular while gander applies to the male in particular. Young birds before fledging are called goslings.^[1] The collective noun for group of geese on the ground is a gaggle; when in flight, they are called a skein, a team or a wedge; when flying close together, they are called a plump.^[3]

True geese[link]

Canada Geese on Spokane River, Washington

There are three living genera of true geese: Anser, grey geese, including the domesticated goose and the Swan Goose; Chen, white geese (often included in Anser); and Branta, black geese, such as the Canada goose.

Two genera of "geese" are only tentatively placed in the Anserinae; they may belong to the shelducks or form a subfamily on their own: Cereopsis, the Cape Barren Goose, and Cnemiornis, the prehistoric New Zealand Goose.

Either these or, more probably, the goose-like Coscoroba Swan is the closest living relative of the true geese.

Fossils of true geese are hard to assign to genus; all that can be said is that their fossil record, particularly in North America, is dense and comprehensively documents many different species of true geese that have been around since about 10 million years ago in the Miocene. The aptly named Anser atavus (meaning "Great-great-great-grandfather goose") from some 12 million years ago had even more plesiomorphies in common with swans. In addition, there are some goose-like birds known from subfossil remains found on the Hawaiian Islands.

Geese are monogamous, living in permanent pairs throughout the year; however, unlike most other permanently monogamous animals, they are territorial only during the short nesting season. Paired geese are more dominant and feed more, two factors that result in more young.^[4]

Other birds called "geese"[link]

Greylag Goose at St. James's Park, London

Cape Barren Goose

There are a number of mainly southern hemisphere birds called "geese", most of which belong to the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae. These are:

• Orinoco Goose, Neochen jubata
• Egyptian Goose, Alopochen aegyptiacus
• The South American sheldgeese, genus Chloephaga
• The prehistoric Madagascar Sheldgoose, Centrornis majori, the "Woodard"

The Blue-winged Goose, Cyanochen cyanopterus belongs either to these, or to lineage closer to ducks.

The Spur-winged Goose, Plectropterus gambensis, is most closely related to the shelducks, but distinct enough to warrant its own subfamily, the Plectropterinae.

The three species of small waterfowl in the genus Nettapus are named "pygmy geese", e.g. the Cotton Pygmy Goose (N. javanica). They seem to represent an ancient lineage like the Cape Barren Goose and the Spur-winged Goose.

A genus of prehistorically extinct seaducks, Chendytes, is sometimes called "diving-geese" due to their large size.^{[citation needed]}

The unusual Magpie Goose is in a family of its own, the Anseranatidae.

The Northern Gannet, a seabird, is also known as the "Solan Goose" although it is a bird unrelated to the true geese, or any other Anseriformes for that matter.

Canada Geese in flight

See also[link]

• Angel Wing – A disease common in geese.
• Domestic goose, which includes cooking and folklore
• Flying Geese Paradigm
• List of goose breeds
• Waterfowl
• Wildfowl

References[link]

• Carboneras, Carles (1992). "Family Anatidae (Ducks, Geese and Swans)". In del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew; Sargatal, Jordi. Handbook of Birds of the World. Volume 1: Ostrich to Ducks. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. pp. 536–629. ISBN 84-87334-10-5. 
• Terres, John K.; National Audubon Society (1991) [1980]. The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. New York: Wings Books. ISBN 0-517-03288-0. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Geese

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Geese

Look up goose in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Anatidae media on the Internet Bird Collection

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2010)

Anthony Edwin Phillips
Anthony Phillips
Background information
Also known as	Ant The Vicar Vic Stench
Born	(1951-12-23) 23 December 1951 (age 60)
Origin	London, England, UK
Genres	Classical Rock Progressive Rock
Instruments	guitar vocals keyboards bass guitar dulcimer drums percussions
Labels	Virgin Voiceprint Hit & Run Vertigo RCA Arista Passport
Associated acts	Genesis Mike Rutherford Camel
Website	anthonyphillips.co.uk

Anthony Edwin "Ant" Phillips (b. 23 December 1951, Chiswick, west London) is an English multi instrumentalist, best known as a founding member of the band Genesis.^[1] He played guitar and sang backing vocals until leaving in 1970, following the recording of their second album, Trespass. He left due to suffering from stage fright, after being told by his doctor that the best thing would be to leave the band. He is known for his twelve string guitar work, and his influence can be heard throughout Genesis's early output.

Genesis's first album after Phillips's departure, Nursery Cryme, featured two songs which were holdovers from the days when Phillips was in the band: "The Musical Box" (originally called F#) and "The Fountain Of Salmacis".

After leaving Genesis, Phillips studied classical music (especially classical guitar) and made recordings in collaboration with Harry Williamson, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins, among others.He played the keyboards on the demos for Peter Gabriel in 1976. His first solo album, The Geese and the Ghost, was issued in 1977.

Phillips released his second album, Wise After the Event, in 1978. This was followed the next year by Sides. Both of these albums were produced by Rupert Hine and were intended to reach a mainstream audience, though neither album was successful in that regard.

In its initial release in the UK, Sides was accompanied by a more experimental album entitled Private Parts and Pieces; in the U.S. and Canada the two albums were issued separately. Private Parts and Pieces II: Back to the Pavilion followed the next year, and several further sequels were issued in the 1980s and 1990s.

Phillips began writing material with Andrew Latimer of Camel in 1981, and was a featured performer on that band's album, The Single Factor (released in 1982).

Phillips released a mainstream pop album entitled Invisible Men in 1983. He later claimed that this project went "horribly wrong" as a result of commercial pressures, and would subsequently eschew mainstream success in favour of more specialised material.

Phillips remains involved in a variety of musical projects, including extensive soundtrack work in England often for the label Atmosphere part the Universal Music Group. In the mid-1990s, he released an album entitled The Living Room Concert, which featured solo acoustic versions of his earlier material. He also provided archival material for the first Genesis box set, Genesis Archive 1967-75, released in 1998.

Several of his albums feature artwork by Peter Cross.

Discography[link]

Genesis[link]

Studio

• From Genesis to Revelation (1969)
• Trespass (1970)

Compilations

• Genesis Archive 1967-75 (1998)
• Genesis 1970–1975 (2008)

Solo Albums[link]

Studio

• The Geese and the Ghost (1977)
• Wise After the Event (1978)
• Private Parts and Pieces (1978)
• Sides (1979)
• Private Parts and Pieces II: Back to the Pavilion (1980)
• 1984 (1981)
• Private Parts and Pieces III: Antiques (1982, with Enrique Berro Garcia)
• Invisible Men (1983, with Richard Scott)
• Private Parts and Pieces IV: A Catch at the Tables (1984)
• Private Parts and Pieces V: Twelve (1985)
• Private Parts and Pieces VI: Ivory Moon (1986)
• Private Parts and Pieces VII: Slow Waves, Soft Stars (1987)
• Missing Links Volume One: Finger Painting (1989)
• Slow Dance (1990)
• Private Parts and Pieces VIII: New England (1992)
• Sail the World (1994)
• Missing Links Volume Two: The Sky Road (1994)
• The Living Room Concert (1995)
• Private Parts and Pieces IX: Dragonfly Dreams (1996, with Enrique Berro Garcia)
• Archive Collection I (1998)
• Private Parts and Pieces X: Soirée (1999)
• Radio Clyde (2003)
• Archive Collection Volume II (2004)
• Field Day (2005)
• Missing Links Volume IV: Pathways & Promenades (2009)

Compilations

• Harvest of the Heart (1985)
• Anthology (1995)
• Legend (1997)
• Legend (1999) [Different release from above]
• Soft Vivace (2002)
• All Our Lives (2002)
• Soundscapes (2003)

Collaborations

• Tarka (1988, with Harry Williamson)
• Gypsy Suite (1995, with Harry Williamson)
• Meadows of Englewood (1996, with Guillermo Cazenave)
• Missing Links Volume 3: Time and Tide (1997, with Joji Hirota)
• Live Radio Sessions (1998, with Guillermo Cazenave)
• Wildlife (2008, with Joji Hirota)
• Seventh Heaven (2012, with Andrew Skeet)

Guest appearances

• Intergalactic Touring Band: Intergalactic Touring Band (1977)
• Mike Rutherford: Smallcreep's Day (1980)
• Camel: The Single Factor (1982)
• Iva Twydell: Duel (1982)
• Asha (Denis Quinn): Open Secret (1987)
• Asha (Denis Quinn): Mystic Heart (1989)
• Asha (Denis Quinn): Amadora (1991)
• David Thomas & Ronnie Gunn: The Giants Dance (1996)
• Mother Gong: Battle of the Birds (2004)
• ProgAID: All Around The World (2004)
• Steve Hackett: Out of the Tunnel's Mouth (2009)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Anthony Phillips Official Site

Mary Oliver (born September 10, 1935) is an American poet who has won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. The New York Times described her as "far and away, this country's [America's] best-selling poet".^[1][2]

Early life[link]

Mary Oliver was born to Edward William and Helen M. V. Oliver on September 10, 1935, in Maple Heights, Ohio, a semi-rural suburb of Cleveland.^[3] Her father was a social studies teacher and an athletics coach in the Cleveland public schools. She began writing poetry at the age of 14, and at 17 visited the home of the late Pulitzer Prize winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, in Austerlitz, upper New York state.^[3][4] She and Norma, the poet's sister, became friends and Oliver "more or less lived there for the next six or seven years, running around the 800 acres like a child, helping Norma, or at least being company to her" and assisting with organizing the late poet's papers.

Adult life and career[link]

Oliver’s first collection of poems, No Voyage and Other Poems, was published in 1963, when she was 28.^[1] During the early 1980s, Oliver taught at Case Western Reserve University. Her fifth collection of poetry, American Primitive, won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1984.^[3][5] She was Poet In Residence at Bucknell University (1986) and Margaret Banister Writer in Residence at Sweet Briar College (1991), then moving to Bennington, Vermont, where she held the Catharine Osgood Foster Chair for Distinguished Teaching until 2001.^[1] She won the Christopher Award and the L. L. Winship/PEN New England Award for her piece House of Light (1990) and New and Selected Poems (1992), won the National Book Award.^[3][6] Oliver's work turns towards nature for its inspiration and describes the sense of wonder it instills in her. "When it’s over", she says, "I want to say: all my life / I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms." ("When Death Comes" from New and Selected Poems (1992). Her collections Winter Hours: Prose, Prose Poems, and Poems (1999), Why I Wake Early (2004), and New and Selected Poems, Volume 2 (2004) build the themes. The first and second parts of Leaf and the Cloud are featured in The Best American Poetry 1999 and 2000^[7] and her essays appear in Best American Essays 1996, 1998 and 2001.^[1]

On a return visit to Austerlitz, in the late 1950s, Oliver met photographer Molly Malone Cook, who would become her partner for over forty years.^[4]In Our world she says “I took one look and fell, hook and tumble." Cook was Oliver's literary agent. They made their home largely in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where they lived until Cook's death in 2005, and where Oliver still lives.^[7]Greatly valuing her personal privacy, Oliver has given very few interviews, saying she prefers for her writing to speak for itself.^[1] She recalls "I too fell in love with the town, that marvelous convergence of land and water; Mediterranean light; fishermen who made their living by hard and difficult work from frighteningly small boats; and, both residents and sometime visitors, the many artists and writers.[...] M. and I decided to stay."^[4] Oliver briefly attended both Ohio State University and Vassar College in the mid-1950s, but did not receive a degree at either college.^[3]

Poetic Identity[link]

Mary Oliver’s poetry is grounded in memories of Ohio and her adopted home of New England, setting most of poetry in around Provincetown since she moved there in the 1960s.^[4] Influenced by both Whitman and Thoreau, she is known for her clear and poignant observances of the natural world. Her creativity is stirred by nature, and Oliver, an avid walker, often pursues inspiration on foot. Her poems are filled with imagery from her daily walks near her home:^[1] shore birds, water snakes, the phases of the moon and humpback whales. In Long life she says "[I] go off to my woods, my ponds, my sun-filled harbor, no more than a blue comma on the map of the world but, to me, the emblem of everything."^[4] She commented in a rare interview “When things are going well, you know, the walk does not get rapid or get anywhere: I finally just stop, and write. That’s a successful walk!” She says that she once found walking herself in the woods with no pen and later hid pencils in the trees so she would never be stuck in that place again.^[4]She often carries a 3-by-5-inch hand-sewn notebook for recording impressions and phrases.^[4] Maxine Kumin calls Oliver "a patroller of wetlands in the same way that Thoreau was an inspector of snowstorms."^[8]

Oliver has also been compared to Emily Dickinson, with whom she shares an affinity for solitude and interior monologues. Her poetry combines dark introspection with joyous release. Although she has been criticized for writing poetry that assumes a dangerously close relationship of women with nature, she finds the self is only strengthened through an immersion with nature.^[9] Oliver is also known for her unadorned language and accessible themes.^[7] The Harvard Review describes her work as an antidote to "inattention and the baroque conventions of our social and professional lives. She is a poet of wisdom and generosity whose vision allows us to look intimately at a world not of our making."^[7]

Critical Reviews[link]

Maxine Kumin describes Mary Oliver in the Women's Review of Books as an "indefatigable guide to the natural world, particularly to its lesser-known aspects."^[8] Reviewing Dream Work for The Nation, critic Alicia Ostriker numbered Oliver among America's finest poets: "visionary as Emerson [… she is] among the few American poets who can describe and transmit ecstasy, while retaining a practical awareness of the world as one of predators and prey."^[3] New York Times reviewer Bruce Bennet, stated that the Pulitzer Prize winning collection American Primitive, "insists on the primacy of the physical"^[3] while Holly Prado of Los Angeles Times Book Review noted that it "touches a vitality in the familiar that invests it with a fresh intensity."^[3]

Vicki Graham suggests Oliver over-simplifies the affiliation of gender and nature: "Oliver’s celebration of dissolution into the natural world troubles some critics: her poems flirt dangerously with romantic assumptions about the close association of women with nature that many theorists claim put the woman writer at risk."^[9] In her article “The Language of Nature in the Poetry of Mary Oliver,” Diane S. Bond echoes that “few feminists have wholeheartedly appreciated Oliver’s work, and though some critics have read her poems as revolutionary reconstructions of the female subject, others remain skeptical that identification with nature can empower women.”^[10] In The Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review, Sue Russell notes that "Mary Oliver will never be a balladeer of contemporary lesbian life in the vein of Marilyn Hacker, or an important political thinker like Adrienne Rich; but the fact that she chooses not to write from a similar political or narrative stance makes her all the more valuable to our collective culture."^[11]

Selected awards and honors[link]

• 1969/70 Shelley Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America.^[1]
• 1980 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship^[1]
• 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for American Primitive^[5]
• 1992 National Book Award for Poetry for New and Selected Poems^[6]
• 1998 Lannan Literary Award for poetry^[1]
• 1998 Honorary Doctorate from The Art Institute of Boston^[1]
• 2007 Honorary Doctorate Dartmouth College^[1]
• 2008 Honorary Doctorate Tufts University^[1]

Works[link]

Further reading[link]

• McNew, Janet "Mary Oliver and the Tradition of Romantic Nature Poetry," Contemporary Literature 30:1 (Spring 1989)
• Graham, Vicki "Into the Body of Another: Mary Oliver and the Poetics of Becoming Other," Papers on Language and Literature 30:4 (Fall 1994), pp352–353, pp366–368
• Russell, Sue "Mary Oliver: The Poet and the Persona," The Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review 4:4 (Fall 1997), pp21– 22

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Mary Oliver

• Mary Oliver at the Academy of American Poets. Accessed 2010-09-07
• Mary Oliver's Publisher at Beacon Press. Official biography. Accessed 2010-09-07
• Biography and poems of Mary Oliver at the Poetry Foundation.
• "The Land and Words of Mary Oliver, the Bard of Provincetown" July 5, 2009 New York Times. Accessed 2010-09-07
• Oliver reading at Lensic Theater in Santa Fe, New Mexico on August 4, 2001, video (45 mins). Accessed 2010-12-07

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