Bücher veröffentlicht von Whaler Books

Writer and journalist Greg Shaw brings us his first collection of poems just in time for his 60th birthday. Shaw's poetry is built on the memory of sadness and humor, despair and hope. Places-an airplane seat, an interstate highway, a cold urban street, an enveloping forest, a warm bed-stir the poetic senses. The trajectory of these places may begin with grief or awe, but the narrative progresses upward, toward humor and hope.Nature and technology are often the inspiration. Shaw's influences can be found in fellow Oklahomans Ron Padgett and Joy Harjo and the poetry of Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, and Billy Collins.

How do we bring unity and cohesion to our churches? When it comes to matters of faith development, one can assume there are no better guides than the Bible, following our lectionary, and a wit for communication. But language and faith have their structures and fluency, each ending up being personal. It's just where we are. These days, with Christian beliefs being less on common ground, faith words and phrases being distorted (many stripped of their originality), how can one nurture truth in such a diverse society? Jesus said to love God and love your neighbor as yourselves. The Bible tells us that Jesus wasn't quick to judgment. He created common ground through continual prayer and focusing on others creatively. By listening, asking questions, being engaging, and speaking truth, he formed relationships with others. He used parables, stories, idioms, and humor especially focused towards the judgmental and their interpreting patterns.These twenty-two different stories were created over time. Some are witty, but all are written to hopefully find common ground and bring people closer together through communication and love. Love is a very challenging event. It would be awesome if people would be cognizant of their prejudices as well as open to a dance that brings cohesion to their moments and their movements that even leads into a community dance. These stories were also created with a lectionary calendar in mind along with several that utilize humor. Most have some wit along with idioms to share the faith of a whimsical pastor who just can't quit.

In her book of essays, We Need New Silence To Find Out What We Think, Shirley Hazzard quotes Flaubert as saying, "There is no truth. There is only perception." Poetry has been described as anything from an iceberg to the "whisperings of angels," which seems to illustrate Flaubert's point quite well. This little book of poems is a glimpse of some truths as perceived by me, at various times in life. Some question old tales and beliefs, others decry loss, and some are just plain meant to amuse.