Upholding Mystery

From Andrew Hudgins's often humorous narratives to Wendell Berry's poignant evocations of the divine presence in nature, this book presents a selection of the best Christian poetry being written in English today. Featuring only poets who are currently writing and publishing, it focuses in depth on the work of about a dozen poets who are recognized equally for the stature of their verse and for their illustration of the Christian ethos. These include such well-known poets as Richard Wilbur, Annie Dillard, Daniel Berrigan, Les Murray, and Louise Erdrich, along with the impressive though less-known voices of David Craig, Scott Cairns, and David Brendan Hopes.

In addition, editor David Impastato provides brief, accessible introductions that highlight the specifically Christian concerns of the poems, and he organizes the book into sections dealing with such topics as The Cross, Transformation, Injustice, Presence, Praise, The Mystical Body, and so on, thereby giving the reader a coherent theological journey as well as the pleasurable experience of the individual poems.