poetry
she: robed and wordless, by Lou Ella Hickman
This slim volume of poetry gives voice to the women of the Bible, named and unnamed.
Ordinary grace
The reversals in this book aren’t easy. There is nothing sentimental or giddy about them. They are real. They are ordinary.
Shadows of a saint
Williams was at once theologian, mystic, poet, novelist, editor, playwright, and critic, not to mention (possibly) a living Anglican saint.
Poetic nothingness
This collection is suffused with one of poetry’s most fundamental aims: making meaning out of suffering and loss.
by Anya Silver
Poetic solitude
From his youth Lax experienced a love of God that would not abate, calling him toward both solitude and engagement with others.
by Scott Cairns
Glimpses of Mary
In the latest issue of the Century, Philip Jenkins writes about how the veneration of Mary cuts across religious difference in Egypt. Egypt was the place where Mary first lit up the imaginations of Christians, but apparently her appeal is not limited by culture or religious heritage. Lately I’ve come across a couple of enchanting books that illuminate this for me.
By Amy Frykholm
Splitting an Order, by Ted Kooser
Simple, measured, and settled, the poems in Ted Kooser's new collection were composed by an artist with nothing further to prove.
reviewed by Jeffrey L. Johnson
E. E. Cummings: Complete Poems, 1904–1962 and The Collected Poems of James Laughlin
E. E. Cummings and James Laughlin didn’t write with metaphysical or philosophical ambition. But that doesn’t mean their poetry doesn’t matter.
reviewed by Jon Sweeney
Gold, by Barbara Crooker
Barbara Crooker enters the shades and brush strokes of daily life with such reverence that readers want to take notice, live better, and die better.
reviewed by Tania Runyan
The poet and politics
As two new biographies and a massive collection of poems show, Denise Levertov's distinctive work and life remain relevant and rewarding.
by Jeff Gundy
Once in the West: Poems, by Christian Wiman
Christian Wiman offers further evidence that his voice is among the most compelling in contemporary poetry. These poems are filled with theological conundrums, unanswered questions, brutal answers to questions never formed, and above all, contradictions.
reviewed by Jill Peláez Baumgaertner
Reading devotional poetry with Kim Johnson
Ministry is one of the only professions besides writing where a person has daily need for poetry. Poetry refreshes and renews language and adds insight to stories we’ve heard many times. It can be woven meaningfully into sermons, and it bolsters the human spirit.
But pastors often turn to the same poets over and over again, and time to explore new territory is limited.
Wrestling with God: Poet and editor Kimberly Johnson
"Poetry invites you to have an experience. It doesn't want you to drift away into inattention. It wants to grab you."
by Amy Frykholm
Maya Angelou and the art of the outcast
To fully celebrate the life and legacy of Maya Angelou, we must contextualize her 86 years of living within the black religious traditions that influenced her and birthed her deep spirituality. While countless scholars have analyzed her literary, political, and cultural contributions, few have situated her work within the scope of black religious life, particularly the African-American Christian tradition.
Wilderness venture: Toward a more honest sermon
Our hunger is for words that evoke our deepest emotions, that name the wilderness in which we live—but not alone.
Poetry chronicle
Philip C. Kolin is one of the growing tribe of very fine Christian poets whose work has often been sequestered in the limited venues of independent publishers. His newest collection is a beautifully printed, small hardcover volume that fits comfortably in the palm of the hand. But these are not small or comfortable poems.
reviewed by Jill Peláez Baumgaertner
Protecting people with words
Excellent Christian preaching names and explores the shadows in order to declare that the light shines in the darkness.
Saint Sinatra and Other Poems, by Angela Alaimo O’Donnell
Angela O'Donnell's sassy poems are born of her deeply Catholic imagination. She builds a house of saints, canonized or not.
reviewed by Miho Nonaka