Friday Links
As we approach All Souls' Day, why not visit old cemeteries and pray for the souls buried there? This cemetery is in Conshohocken, PA and, as you can see, was consecrated by Saint John Neumann.
October 11, 2024
Stephanie Howe Sullivan on The O is in the Air
BOO! Spooky Poetry in New Verse Review
Denise Trull on “A Quirky Little Book”
The Dark Side of Jane Austen with Julia Yost and Mark Bauerlein
Andrew Tolkmith on Kris Kristofferson
Stephanie Howe Sullivan on The O is in the Air
What a wonderful review from Stephanie How Sullivan on Maryann Corbett’s latest collection of poetry:
Corbett revisits the past to understand her place in the world and her relationship with God, confronting it with clear eyes, penetrating honesty, and relentless deliberation. Vulnerable and poignant, funny and bold, Corbett delves into memory, the ghosts of the past, and the impressions they leave behind. Like Jacob wrestling with God, Corbett grapples with what it means to live as a Catholic in the prevailing culture.
BOO! Spooky Poetry in New Verse Review
In this mini-issue from New Verse Review, we get 25 poems from 25 poets, each with his/her own take on this strange season. Here’s one by Jared Carter that I really liked:
Frogs
In spite of verses you can say
line for line, word
For word, none of that will delay
the flat-edged sword
Or executioner's keen axe
that will come down
On you at last. What then, how ask
for the green gown,
The falling rain, the smell of hay
fresh cut, the sound
Of the young frogs, not far away,
all gathered round?
Trull on “A Quirky Little Book”
Denise Trull reviews a book from our very own Fr. Michael on The Forgotten Language.
For suddenly, I am asked to approach the liturgy not with a purely Theological Knowledge so much as with Poetic Knowledge; that intuitive and personal sense of meaning behind the concrete existence of the Mass. I am asked to not just see a structure of words, actions, beautiful colors, textures and melodies decorating doctrine. I am asked to wonder what is under them. What meaning do they reveal: not only metaphorically and allegorically, in a general, universal sense this time, but ...... personally ....... in my individual soul as it gazes on the One true God. I am asked to think like a poet in matters where habitually, I stubbornly struggle to think only like a theologian. And then on the flip side, I am to freely admit the necessarily slow, painstaking effort and structure needed for that poem to exist, when by preference I just want to see it fly free all at once.
The Dark Side of Jane Austen with Julia Yost and Mark Bauerlein
This is a really excellent episode of Mark Bauerlein’s First Things podcast. He and Julia Yost discuss the darker side of Jane Austen and more. It’s not as long as many podcasts these days - perfect for a car ride. Take a listen and discuss.
Andrew Tolkmith on Kris Kristofferson
Did you know that Kris Kristofferson was a Rhodes scholar who studied English before going to Nashville? Andrew Tolkmith recounts Kristofferson’s storytelling roots and notes evidence of a Catholic understanding in his work. Thanks to Barbara Gonzalez for directing me to this article. As she says, there is “more to be said on the influence of faith” in Kristofferson’s work, but Tolkmith has made a good start.
Kris Kristofferson loved stories. He treasured them, revered them, studied them, reinvented old ones, and created new ones. A hugely gifted intellectual who served as a military officer and enjoyed nothing more than reading novels and writing songs, he saw and understood the narratives that stoked the fires of human hearts, from the Oxford halls to Skid Row. Kristofferson took these loves and used them to give birth to new horizons in songwriting and new revelations on the silver screen. Of all his contributions to art, his music will endure the most in perpetuity.
