Writing Spiritual Poetry: The Possibilities of Transcendence

“Writing poetry has probably been the best teacher for me learning to pray. Poetry asks that I go beyond what I know on the surface into what I did not know I knew within me.” —Jericho Brown

The language we encounter in poetry often opens up a wider world, allowing us to discover deeper and essential meanings for our lives, even in everyday moments. Both readers and writers of poetry have experienced these feelings of transcendence. Today a number of poets are finding themselves in the middle of a conversation with the divine, poets like Christian Wiman, Mary Szybist, Katie Ford, and Li-Young Lee.

In this three-hour workshop, we will look at spiritual poems from contemporary poets and a few ancient ones. Then using these examples as starting points, we will create poems that address our relationships to the divine, faith and doubt, and the possibilities of transcendence. We will also discuss possible venues and publications for your creative work. Please join us, no matter what your beliefs. Bring your questions, your experiences, and ideas to create poetry from your heart and soul.

This event is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. This project is generously funded by the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, and Mid-America Arts Alliance.

This project is generously funded by Mid-America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the state arts agencies of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.

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