The other ...
... as the lens to view the self
Dear friends,
I hope this finds you well. I am back in Ireland this week, opening the post that arrived while I was away and enjoying the familiar familiar.
We are deep in prep for a small mini season of Poetry Unbound that’ll be released later this month — we’ll be publishing several episodes over the course of five days. I’ll write a short Substack every one of those days too, so those of you who have the interest and time can engage in some discussion about the episodes.
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a poetry recommendation. Sally Bliumis-Dunn was commissioned by Danny Lawless, the editor-in-chief of Plume, an online poetry journal, to gather a selection of poems that reflected on the idea of “other.” Some people wrote poems about being someone else, about seeing yourself through the eyes of someone else, or about seeing yourself through new/other eyes. Each poet also wrote a short paragraph on how their work considers this interesting idea.
The poems are free and available to read at Plume’s website. I love the challenging nature of these poems, the intimate view that seeks to make space for the strange in the gaze, to disrupt and disquiet the sense of self, to defamiliarise what is in need of further noticing.
No question from me this week — I’m taking a few days off early next week — and back to full Substack-steam on Sunday 12 May.
Poetry in the World
A list of events: Online; in the US (Pittsburgh PA, Camden ME, Boone NC, Rhinebeck NY); Greece; England; and the Scottish island of Iona
May 8 at 9am (Pacific Time, US), online
I’m giving a talk at the Spiritual Directors Online Conference. Get $50 off the price of access to the entire conference (it runs from May 8–10) if you use the code Conf50, or $25 off the price of a day pass with the code SDI25; find details and registration here.
May 9 at 3am (Eastern Time, US), online
I’ll be participating in an online webinar about the art of civic dialogue, hosted by Australia’s Small Giants Academy. Go here to register to attend.
May 14, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US
For you theologically interested folks, I’ll be speaking at the Festival of Homiletics. Info here.
May 17 at 2–4pm, Camden, Maine, US
I’ll be talking about the word “you” in poetry at the Camden Public Library. You can attend in person or over Zoom. The entire two-day festival is free; information here.
May 24–26, Boone, North Carolina, US
I’m leading a a 48-hour Poetry Unbound retreat, where there will be poetry readings, responding to prompts, and sharing. Information and registration here.
June 27–July 7, Patmos, Greece
I’m one of the speakers at the 10-night “Journeying into Common Good” salon, together with Krista Tippett, Allison Russell, JT Nero, and Joe Henry. More details here.
August 7 at 6-7:30pm (Eastern Time, US), online
I’ll be exploring conflict and change through poetry at an online event in partnership with the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia University. You can register for free here.
August 23–25, Northamptonshire, England
I’ll be at the Greenbelt Festival, and, among other events, I will be interviewing the brilliant Jenny Mitchell (whose poem “A Man in Love with Plants” we featured on a Season 7 episode of Poetry Unbound). You can go here to learn about the festival.
October 6–11, Rhinebeck, New York, US
I’m back for a week at Omega (just two hours north of NYC) for a week of reflection on poetry, poetry prompts, and group discussions. Expect lovely people, gorgeous surroundings and food, and conversations about how poetry opens your world. Learn more here.
March 10–15 and March 18–23 2025, Isle of Iona, Scotland
I’m holding two Poetry Unbound retreats on the gorgeous Scottish island of Iona. Each retreat is the same, so book whichever one works for you. Information is available here.
Home…
Excerpts from Little Gidding by TS Eliot
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Not known, because not looked for
But heard, half-heard, in the stillness
Between two waves of the sea.
Quick now, here, now, always–
A condition of complete simplicity
(Costing not less than everything)
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well (Julian)
When the tongues of flames are in-folded
Into the crowned knot of fire
And the fire and the rose are one.
Holy Homesickness — Center for Action and Contemplation https://cac.org/daily-meditations/holy-homesickness/
Ok, I am crying after reading a few of the “other” poems recommended by Pádraig this week including one of his own. I encourage all to read them.