What do you think?
Rate this book
Contemporary Catholic Poetry: An Anthology
Featuring 23 contemporary Catholic poets, from Julia Alvarez and Carolyn ForchÉ to Timothy Murphy and Franz Wright, this anthology is an essential collection that captures the spectrum of the Catholic experience.
- GenresPoetry
240 pages, Paperback
Published September 10, 2024
1 person is currently reading
12 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 3, 2024
Summary: An anthology of works in diverse styles, aesthetics, and forms from 23 Catholic poets born since 1950.
During the time I was savoring the poetry in this work, a friend of mine expressed the desire to read more poetry but didn’t know where to start. I suggested finding anthologies that allow one to sample the works of many poets to find those one likes. And this anthology is a great place to begin.
What is Contemporary Catholic Poetry? The editors define “contemporary” as born after 1950, writing between the mid-1970’s and the present. A “Catholic” is one who was baptized Catholic and has not renounced their faith. It does not have to do with content, which ranges widely over human experience. Nevertheless, the editors note that Catholic poetry may be characterized as having a sacramental view of reality. That is true of this collection. Finally, poetry covers a variety of forms. There is political and personal poetry; performative and meditative poetry.
In all, twenty-three poets appear in this anthology, organized alphabetically by last name with three to eight poems by each writer. The editors introduce each poet with a brief biography. A date appears at the end of each poem indicating when it was first published. Generally the works are shorter. Ned Balbo’s “Hart Island” is a notable exception spanning ten pages. He chronicles the history of this island off New York harbor that served as a prisoner of war camp, prison, “Madhouse, workhouse, women’s hospital.”
I cannot possibly summarize all the poets, even less all the works that appear here. Without intending to slight any, I’ll single out a few that caught my attention. I’ve long been familiar with the name of Dana Gioia, first poet to head the national Endowment for the Arts. But this is my first time to read his poetry, and I bought more of it as a result. In “Interrogations at Noon” he writes, “Just before noon I often hear a voice, / Cool and insistent, whispering in my head. / It is a better man I might have been, / Who chronicles the life I’ve never led.” I felt like he was listening to the voice in my head!
Julia Alvarez’s “Folding My Clothes” writes of the mother who carefully folded her clothes “which she found so much easier to love.” Marie Howe, in “Prayer” writes of all the aspirations and distractions any of us experience who try to pray. “Fontanel”, by April Lindner, a co-editor, is a tender meditation on the “Canvas-thin” “stretch of skin” on a newborn’s head whose skull bones have not yet fused. In “Castizo” by Orlando Ricardo Menes, the poet reflects on his mother’s aspirations that he prove himself of “good stock,” unlike his father, a manual laborer. Instead, he asserts that all our handiwork “is charged with grace.”
I liked Daniel Tobin’s work. “Aftermath” is a spare reflection on 9/11. He likens the ascent of souls to the pervasive ashes visible in the floodlit night. David Yezzi, the last poet in this collection reflects on the triumph of weeds in his garden and words of his grandmother.
In summary, the editors speak of giving this book as a gift, hoping it will be a welcome one. I certainly found it so on many levels. It introduced me to some great poets I hope to read more of. The poems both evoked realities I’ve not experienced and resonated with ones that I have. Finally, like so many great poems, these served as windows offering glimpses of transcendent realities in the commonplaces of life.
____________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
During the time I was savoring the poetry in this work, a friend of mine expressed the desire to read more poetry but didn’t know where to start. I suggested finding anthologies that allow one to sample the works of many poets to find those one likes. And this anthology is a great place to begin.
What is Contemporary Catholic Poetry? The editors define “contemporary” as born after 1950, writing between the mid-1970’s and the present. A “Catholic” is one who was baptized Catholic and has not renounced their faith. It does not have to do with content, which ranges widely over human experience. Nevertheless, the editors note that Catholic poetry may be characterized as having a sacramental view of reality. That is true of this collection. Finally, poetry covers a variety of forms. There is political and personal poetry; performative and meditative poetry.
In all, twenty-three poets appear in this anthology, organized alphabetically by last name with three to eight poems by each writer. The editors introduce each poet with a brief biography. A date appears at the end of each poem indicating when it was first published. Generally the works are shorter. Ned Balbo’s “Hart Island” is a notable exception spanning ten pages. He chronicles the history of this island off New York harbor that served as a prisoner of war camp, prison, “Madhouse, workhouse, women’s hospital.”
I cannot possibly summarize all the poets, even less all the works that appear here. Without intending to slight any, I’ll single out a few that caught my attention. I’ve long been familiar with the name of Dana Gioia, first poet to head the national Endowment for the Arts. But this is my first time to read his poetry, and I bought more of it as a result. In “Interrogations at Noon” he writes, “Just before noon I often hear a voice, / Cool and insistent, whispering in my head. / It is a better man I might have been, / Who chronicles the life I’ve never led.” I felt like he was listening to the voice in my head!
Julia Alvarez’s “Folding My Clothes” writes of the mother who carefully folded her clothes “which she found so much easier to love.” Marie Howe, in “Prayer” writes of all the aspirations and distractions any of us experience who try to pray. “Fontanel”, by April Lindner, a co-editor, is a tender meditation on the “Canvas-thin” “stretch of skin” on a newborn’s head whose skull bones have not yet fused. In “Castizo” by Orlando Ricardo Menes, the poet reflects on his mother’s aspirations that he prove himself of “good stock,” unlike his father, a manual laborer. Instead, he asserts that all our handiwork “is charged with grace.”
I liked Daniel Tobin’s work. “Aftermath” is a spare reflection on 9/11. He likens the ascent of souls to the pervasive ashes visible in the floodlit night. David Yezzi, the last poet in this collection reflects on the triumph of weeds in his garden and words of his grandmother.
In summary, the editors speak of giving this book as a gift, hoping it will be a welcome one. I certainly found it so on many levels. It introduced me to some great poets I hope to read more of. The poems both evoked realities I’ve not experienced and resonated with ones that I have. Finally, like so many great poems, these served as windows offering glimpses of transcendent realities in the commonplaces of life.
____________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
Displaying 1 of 1 review