Gail Griffin is the author of four books of nonfiction. "Singular Bird: A Discovery Log," which appears in these pages, is included in her new book, "Grief's Country: A Memoir in Pieces," from Wayne State University Press. Her essays, brief nonfiction, and poetry have appeared in Southern Review, Missouri Review, New Ohio Review, Fourth Genre, and Solstice, among other venues. She lives and writes in southwestern Michigan.