Burning the Midnight Oil: Illuminating Words for the Long Night's Journey Into Day

by Phil Cousineau, Jeff The Dude Dowd (Foreword)

In Burning the Midnight Oil , word-wrangler extraordinaire Phil Cousineau has gathered an eclectic and electric collection of soulful poems and prose from great thinkers throughout the ages. Whether beguiling readers with glorious poetry or consoling them with prayers from fellow restless souls, Cousineau can relieve any insomniac's unease. From St. John of the Cross to Annie Dillard, Beethoven to The Song of Songs , this refreshingly insightful anthology soothes and inspires all who struggle through the dark of the night. These "night thoughts" vividly illustrate Alfred North Whitehead's liberating description of "what we do without solitude" and also evoke Henry David Thoreau's reverie, "Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake." These poetic ponderances sing of the falling darkness, revel in dream-time, convey the ache of melancholy, conspire against sleeplessness, vanquish loneliness, contemplate the night sky, rhapsodize on love, and languorously greet the first rays of dawn. Notable night owls include Rabandranath Tagore, Mary Oliver, Manley Hopkins, Jorge Borges and William Blake.

Winner of the Independent Publisher Award Gold Medal in Inspirational/Spiritual

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Essays

244 pages, Paperback

First published December 16, 2013

About the author

Phil Cousineau is a writer, teacher, editor, independent scholar, documentary filmmaker, travel leader, and storyteller. The author of more than 30 nonfiction books, Cousineau has more than 15 documentary screenwriting credits to his name, including the 1991 Academy Award-nominated Forever Activists. His life-long fascination with art, literature, and the history of culture has taken him on many journeys around the world; one of his bestselling books is The Art of Pilgrimage, inspired by his many years of meaningful travels.

Born in an army hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, Cousineau grew up in Detroit, and has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 30 years. American mythologist Joseph Campbell was a mentor and major influence; Cousineau wrote the documentary film and companion book about Campbell's life, "The Hero's Journey." The “omnipresent influence of myth in modern life” is a thread that runs through all of his work. He lectures frequently on a wide range of topics--from mythology, film, and writing, to sports, creativity, travel, art, and beauty. Currently he is the host of the much-praised “inner travel” television series, Global Spirit, on Link TV and PBS, and is finishing a book on beauty.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I purchased this one sight unseen after hearing about it on NPR. What we have here is a collection of poems and essays, chosen, it seems, only because the word "night" is mentioned at least once in each work. There is Rumi and William Blake interspersed with a fairly graphic sex scene and then, an article about Edward Hopper simply because he once painted a picture entitled "Nighthawks." For me, this made for a jarring, disjointed read, though other reviewers seem to have found it quite charming.

I did enjoy this little tale by James Botford, which is essentially a dirty joke. That tells you why I loved it, but the grammarians among you may also get a chuckle out of it:

THEIR 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Steve and Martha were nearly 80 years old as they reached their 50th anniversary. Although they didn't look as sexy as they once did, the night time is kind in this regard and they were determined to make love on the night of their Golden Anniversary. But Martha knew Steve would have trouble getting an erection so she sent him in advance to see a shaman who lived in the nearby woods and was reputed to have powerful medicine.

The old shaman gave Steve a potion and, putting a hand on Steve's shoulder warned "This is strong medicine. You take only a teaspoon full and then you say '1-2-3.' When you do that you will become as strongly erect as you have ever been and make love as long as you want." Steve was encouraged. As he walked away he turned and asked, "How do I stop the medicine from working?" The shaman responded, "Your partner must say '1-2-3-4,' but when she does the medicine's effect will end at once and not work again until the next full moon."

On the evening of the anniversary, as the darkness settled in through the windows, Steve went into the bedroom, took a spoonful of the medicine and invited Martha to join him. When she came in he took off his clothes and said, "1-2-3" and immediately got an erection. Martha was very pleased and excited, and as she quickly started taking off her clothes asked, "What was the '1-2-3' for?"

And that is the reason we should never end a sentence with a preposition. We could end up in the dark with a dangling participle.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful volume of often stirring and lovely writing about the night, this would be a fine selection for a spiritual reading group that wanted to engage the topic of the night, the perils and the joys, the times of awakening and the times of dreaming.

[J.R. Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burning the Midnight Oil by Phil Cousineau is a marvelous read for writers who sometimes find themselves in a too quiet house in the middle of the night. It offers many views of the night, some funny, some enlightening, and some scary. I found myself often nodding my head as I recognized myself pressed between the pages. The compilation brings in writers across the centuries, from Sappho, to Mark Twain, to Antler, to Sharon Olds. It will stay at my beside until it falls apart. When that happens, I'll get another copy.

[Paul Markun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in the late evenings while on a weeklong trip, and the theme fit my mood and environment perfectly.
An ideal travel book, perfect to pick and choose from, just before sleeping. It is bound to stimulate your dreams!
Admittedly, some of the eclectic collection will resonate with you, and others may not, but that is part of the beauty. Skip about and enjoy as your tastes and mood suit, which I found a nice change from my normal more structured reading.

[Colleen Villasenor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of poems, essays, and short selections about living in the night. Some of these selections made me think of the nights I spent lying out staring at the stars. It made me remember walks at night in the mountains and late nights working on papers. I thought about my travels as a young person and waking up to church bells or sun flooding through the glass porch where I was sleeping. And I certainly related to the descriptions of jet lag. There were also some beautiful spiritual passages that I will be referring back to frequently. I loved reading this as I was preparing to sleep every night

[Lauren Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book, especially for those long, long nights when the God Insomnia is standing at the foot of the bed and all seem grim. It is, as one reviewer said, "The brighter side of darkness." A great book to have beside the bed.

[Udayakumar DS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not upto my expectations and reviews written by others.
Lights from many lamps by Lillian Eichler Watson is forever the best and will stand the test of time.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the addition of excerpts and short stories into what I thought was a poetry anthology- really loved the addition of poets I wasn’t familiar with as well.