From the PBS.org website, here is a recent story that might interest you:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/poetry/poet-beasts-donika-kelly/
Some excerpts . . .
Donika Kelly’s collection of poetry “Bestiary” won the Cave Canem Poetry Prize
[i]Werewolves, mermaids, griffons and minotaurs: Donika Kelly’s debut collection of poetry, “Bestiary,” is filled with mythological creatures. But unlike medieval bestiaries that used creatures to teach moral lessons to others, Kelly says she was more concerned with finding her own way.
“I’m interested in becoming the best version of myself, not teaching anyone else about morality. I want to explore, ‘what are the stakes here?’ The book is about me exploring how I can become a better person.”
Kelly’s poems also examine the behaviors of real animals. In three separate poems she describes the elaborate mating rituals of the bower bird; the male bower is obsessive about decorating his nest with blue colors to woo a female partner. Kelly, who is gay, says she’s interested in courtship rituals because she doesn’t think she’s very good at them herself.
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