Facundo Bernal's A Stab in the Dark (Palos de ciego) is a poetic chronicle of the struggles and joys of the Spanish-speaking community in Los Angeles and in the burgeoning border town of Mexicali during the early 1920s. Sharply satirical yet deeply empathetic, Bernal’s poems are both a landmark of Chicano literature and a captivating read. Anthony Seidman's energetic translation – the first into English – preserves the prickly feel of ...
In the tumultuous spirit of the American South, A Carolina Psalter offers an outspoken conversation with King David's Psalms, great outcries to a personal God. The Psalms, as a transformational work, sing out in the confident voice of a people unafraid to address the deity almost as an equal, and in some cases, as a friend. The poems in A Carolina Psalter address the God of the Psalms with questioning, irreverence, and occasional confrontat ...
If you are searching for a straightforward retelling of the book of Genesis in a modern idiom, this is not the book for you. If you are looking exclusively for a poetic rendering of the simple text, you've picked up the wrong book. If you are primarily after a textual commentary, you'll expect one that is far more expansive. If, however, you are after a lively, dramatic, highly original, and entertaining retelling of the Genesis storie ...
During difficult days (days of rain) we need encouragement and reminding of the love, mercy, and power of God from someone who has been through the storm. These poems and essays were written over many years and through many hard times. It is my hope to connect to your heart so you can see that someone else has had doubts and discouragement through the Christian walk and has found hope, a pathway to get through the rain and see the sun again. ...
The desire and struggle to pray pulses through this spiritually resonant collection in forms as various as psalms, Tai Chi, meditation, needlework, lament, and thanksgiving. Even poems not overtly about prayer lead the reader into prayer-like contemplation as the poet considers war, environmental devastation, corporate greed, and poverty as personal, as well as sociopolitical, subjects. Crossing borders between the distant and the local ...
Tesfaye Gabbiso, prominent Ethiopian soloist, began composing song texts and tunes as a young lad in the early 1970s during a period of social and political upheaval in Ethiopia. This national ferment strengthened a creative surge among a generation of youth as the Ethiopian revolution (1974-91) was taking hold. An explosion of indigenous spiritual songs was one result. The indigenous song style was in contrast to the imported and translated Eur ...
For centuries, Christian denominations have fought over whose practices are most holy or sacred. While the different branches of Christ's teachings have been arguing, fighting, and killing amongst themselves, the Devil and his evil thoughts have been able to roam free and strike fear into the hearts of man and society. Alas comes a poetry collection to unite all individuals under one Christian banner, and celebrate our favorite heroes of Go ...
For much of Christian history, pastors not only served as theologians and preachers, but also as poets and hymn writers. They ministered through their preaching and their poetry, their sermons and their songs–laboring to see God's truth planted not only in people's minds, but helping it find its way into their hearts and even onto their lips. They viewed such labors as an artistic and devotional tool of catechesis, one that has largely ...
Broken bones mend. Flesh wounds heal. But where is the emergency room we can rush to when our hearts are broken? Divorce, adultery, spousal abuse, childhood sexual abuse, and addiction to alcohol, drugs, or pornography tear deep, gaping holes in the most tender of organs. There's no bandage and no surgery that will heal these wounds of the soul. However, forgiveness, mercy, and grace become a soothing balm in restoration. Whether you are th ...
