Whenever I find myself in any kind of slump — whether it be in writing, exercising, or praying — I try to resist my first natural inclination toward giving up entirely.  One of the best remedies I’ve found to combat my defeatist tendencies has been to gain a new perspective, and I suppose that’s what I was searching for when I found myself signing up for meditation classes at the Passionist Earth and Spirit Center a couple months ago.   I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I know I couldn’t have been the only one in my class who had scenes from Eat, Pray, Love flash to mind.  In search of a renewed perspective and needing to find balance amidst demands from work and school, I thought that this might bring a sense of serenity and calm to my … Read More »

{ANTLER author tania runyan interview karen swallow prior, author of booked: literature in the soul of me, t.s. poetry press, 2012}

It’s embarrassing for me to recount, but when I was still young in my faith, I questioned whether I could major in English or writing. My thinking went like this: If I’m either for God or against him, and if most texts studied in literature courses are written by nonbelievers, then I’d be spending my days studying words against God. With the help of some spiritual mentors, I was able to free myself from that burden (although I still taped over all my secular albums with Keith Green). But many people go through their entire lives paralyzed by their perceived need to choose between right and wrong in every situation: what to read, what to watch and listen to, even … Read More »

It’s been five months since I quit teaching.  For three months I worked forty hours at Starbucks and read a lot: Hunger Games, The Lord of the Rings,  Psalms, Surprised by Joy, Letters to a Young Poet.  It’s been almost two months since I started work at a call center; forty hours there, twenty hours at Starbucks.  I had hoped to work two jobs through Christmas, but when I got home one day and couldn’t stop crying, I gave my two-weeks at Starbucks.  So now both familiar jobs, teaching and Starbucks, the ones that supported me in grad school, France, and when I returned to Louisville, are gone.

The reasons I’ve left these jobs are money and writing.  I can’t complain about money, really.  I have enough for rent and small luxuries, but not enough to save, travel, or buy my … Read More »

{Pastor, Ryan Strebeck reflects on some of the poetry that has nourished him in his life of ministry.}

I’m such a novice in the world of poetry (you don’t need me to tell you this, but conversing with a poetry community I feel obliged to announce it anyways). My poetry library could mostly be transported in a five-gallon bucket, and my understanding of forms is very limited. Thankfully, I have savvy friends who keep me supplied with enough good poetry to keep me going. Here are a few poems that have  nourished me, particularly in the life of ministry.

The Tyger by William Blake

Without the help of my then three-year-old son, I never would have learned this poem. He pulled a copy of Blake’s illustrated poems off the shelf one night and brought it to me open to this page. A month or … Read More »

{Lyle Enright reflects on Paul’s message and how it applies to writing about emotion and truth.}

Recently, during a lengthy car trip, my girlfriend and I decided to pass the time listening through Argue With A Tree, an album by American rock band Blue October. More accurately, I suppose I was conducting an experiment – my better half has a Master’s degree in mental health counseling, and I wanted to see how she would respond to music that is largely an outlet for Blue October’s clinically bipolar frontman, Justin Furstenfeld.

Blue October is an interesting artistic animal. Many of the songs on that album are what Furstenfeld refers to as “scary love songs,” intense confessions and explorations of human brokenness with some of the most jarring juxtapositions of beauty and revulsion I’ve ever heard. The question at the end of the night … Read More »

{Ryan Strebeck reflects on how the power of words matter in both poetry and ministry}

I never expected or wanted to be a pastor, and I never cared much for poetry. So, it’s hard for me to escape the irony of this post and the question about poetry’s use in the life of ministry. I was deliberately ignorant of poetry (all literature, really) until I graduated from college, with one exception. Growing up in a ranching context, I spent time with old men and women who carefully used their words. They carefully spoke like they carefully shod their horses and cooked their meals and braided their hobbles.
I remember one man, in particular, who practiced reading and songwriting in a way that made me want to join him. He didn’t own a television, so in the evenings we sat around … Read More »

{in this snippet of his forthcoming book “making manifest”–available april 2013–teacher, author, and poet dave harrity asks some questions that invite believers to think about what they’re adding to the world, and the creative implications of faith. if you’re in or near louisville on thursday november 29, you can catch him speaking on a panel about thomas merton and millennial faith practice at st. matthew’s episcopal church (330 North Hubbards Lane) at 7pm…}

And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord 

    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 

 for he has been mindful

    of the humble state of his servant. 

From now on all generations will call me blessed, 

     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—

    holy is his name. 

His mercy extends to those who fear him,

    from generation to generation. 

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; 

    he has scattered those who are proud in their … Read More »

{in this piece, Jennifer Grosser reflects on her journey to write toward God.}

I don’t know about you, but the inside of my head tends to sound like my Twitter feed lots of the time. There’s all kinds of narration going on, but sometimes it feels like it’s in multiple voices and most of the time it’s very disjointed. Happily, as a young person I had a mother who encouraged my writing and a father who encouraged asking questions, and one day I found that the journal I was keeping to record my teenage angst had merged with the charts I was making to record my questions about what I was reading in the Bible or the prayer lists I was trying to pray through. Suddenly the charts and lists stopped, and the mysterious “you” I had been addressing in my … Read More »

{in this piece, writer and activist Stephanie Kornexl talks about writing, Dorothy Day, and living the Incarnation}

For several months I worked at an urban downtown church allocating state ID vouchers to those in need and overseeing a soup kitchen for working poor and homeless men and women.  Each day I pulled into the back alley of the church to my office, and more often than not, I had a guest awaiting my arrival at the door.  Some were street people who came to ask for loose change or cigarettes, and others were distressed travelers seeking a bus ticket home or simply a pair of shoes. There were also the regulars who came to “boloney alley” who would hang around in hopes of catching a sympathetic ear to whom they could relinquish their stories.

As the sole person responsible for overseeing the … Read More »

{one of Antler’s goals is to foster discussion about poetry in religious life–offering content for faith communities to discuss, share, and contemplate. in that vein, we also give careful consideration to ministers who are thinking about using poetry and creative writing as a tool for spiritual formation. to that end, we’re going to be hearing from ministers and members of congregations as part of our “Awaken Series.” in this post, vixen of verse Sarah Wells ruminates on using artistic gifts–especially poetry–in church. this piece is pragmatic, encouraging, and an exciting start for all folks interested in mixing it up with faith and art! feel free to share!}

If you are anything like me, you are proud and excited about what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you through poetry.  You’ve set out with an idea, had that idea turned on … Read More »