"Poetry has always been a central element of Christian
spirituality and is increasingly used in worship, in pastoral services and
guided meditation. In Sounding the Seasons, Cambridge poet, priest and
singer-songwriter Malcolm Guite transforms seventy lectionary readings into
lucid, inspiring poems, for use in regular worship, seasonal services,
meditative reading or on retreat. Already widely recognised, Malcolm's writing
has been acclaimed by Rowan Williams and Luci Shaw, two leading contemporary
religious poets. Seven Advent poems from this collection will appear in the next
edition of Penguin's (US) Best Spiritual Writing edited by Philip Zaleski,
alongside the work of writers such as Seamus Heaney and Annie Dillard. A section
of practical help and advice for using poetry creatively and effectively in
worship is also included."
During the launch Malcolm will also be playing some tracks from his collaboration with Steve Bell which has resulted in the album Keening for the Dawn. Steve writes:
"Until a few years ago, I didn’t know what the “Great O Antiphons” were – although I was well acquainted with the song that preserves the tradition and the seven ancient, prophetic names for the Christ ... The church has traditionally meditated on these antiphons during the last seven days of Advent from December 17 – 23. Last fall when I began to discover the breadth of Malcolm Guite’s poetry, I found he had written seven sonnets corresponding to each of the O Antiphons, and in reflecting on them, the tradition came alive for me in a way I wasn’t expecting. What had been (for me) a beautiful but often dirgy Advent hymn, suddenly became ablaze with revelation."
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Steve Bell - Shepherd of Life.
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