5 Poetry Books, Advent to Epiphany-A Curated List
And one of them is mine
If you’d like a poetic accompaniment during the days of Advent through Epiphany—December 1st through January 6th—May I suggest one or two of these fine books?
Even if poetry is not your “thing,” dipping into a poem can be an easy way to pause and breathe and remember the why of our Christmas preparations in the busy season ahead. The wonderful thing is, with each book below (or ebook) you can simply pick wherever you are in the month and read that day’s selection.
Accompanied by Angels: Poems of the Incarnation, Luci Shaw, 2006. Eerdmans
Luci Shaw is the matriarch of Christian poets, still creating and crafting poems from her home in Bellingham, Washington, at the remarkable age of 95. (I met her five years ago at a writer’s conference, spry and encouraging as ever.) Accompanied by Angels is arranged in five sections of poems spanning the season of Advent- ‘Announcement’-through Easter- ‘Risen,’ and each poem is filled with Shaw’s rich metaphors and remarkable phrasing.
I am singing my Advent anthem to you, God: How all year/I’ve felt your thrusts, every sound and sight stabbing/like a little blade — the creak of gulls, the racket as waves jostle pebbles/… from ‘Magnificat’
Haphazard by Starlight: A poem a day from Advent to Epiphany, Janet Morley, Editor, SPCK, UK, 2013
Janet Morley is a freelance writer, speaker and workshop leader in the Methodist Church in Great Britain. She has gathered 37 poems to be read from December 1 through January 6th, spanning classic as well as contemporary poets. Each selection is accompanied by a short reflection and a question to ponder. I’ve come back to this book for three years now and see something new every time.
…this is Winter brought in by All Saints/Fast followed by All Souls to keep us in/Touch with chill and death. Each re-acquaints/Us with the year’s end. Yet we now begin/. from November Sonnet by Elizabeth Jennings.
Waiting on the Word: A poem a day for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, Malcolm Guite, Canterbury Press, UK 2015
Malcolm Guite is a poet, academic and retired priest (Anglican, Girton College, Cambridge), and well-known speaker. Author of fourteen books, he also has a delightful spot on YouTube called “A Spell in the Library,” reading poems from his Library at home in England. Waiting on the Word is a gathering of other people’s poetry as well as his own, along with accompanying reflections. The reflections are illuminating and thoughtful and add a great deal to the reading.
It is my conviction that to do theology well we must bring the poets to the table along with the theologians, and listen carefully to what they say.” From the Introduction.
I couldn’t agree more. Waiting on the Word is a book I return to year after year.
Pilgrim God: A Poet’s Journey Through Advent1 by S.E. Reid is a quiet and thoughtful reflection as well. Reid has written daily ‘devotions’ as she calls them in verse form, followed by inspiration and encouragement for the reader. Published as an ebook, it is easily downloadable to savor in the pockets of time available in this busy season. The opening poem’s lines give us a hint at Reid’s titling of her book:
Emmanuel Poems: Verses for the Holidays, Jody L. Collins, 2021, rev. 2024
(Shall I borrow the blurb from Amazon? Yes I shall.)
Emmanuel Poems-Verses for the Holidays invites readers to dip into the vast ocean that is poetry, combined with the deep well of mystery surrounding Christmas. Emmanuel means "God with us," a title that umbrellas the theme of these poems, that God sent his Son Jesus to inhabit our everyday world.
The poems begin with reflections on the challenges of the holiday season to align our hearts with underneath-the-surface pressures to create a ‘perfect Christmas.’ Moving through Mary’s declaration then tracing Christ’s birth, dedication and appearance to the Magi, readers are reminded of the reason for Christ’s birth—to come and die, then rise again, leaving us to go and tell the world of His redemption.“…as Christmas comes again, I know an inner security about life that I wish I could share. The old tired earth is most beautiful and lovely. As long as men come home from work and children from school and women put a sprig of parsley on the platter so the steak or the chicken or the spaghetti may look festive, so long as the church bells ring in the frosty air, we have a world worth living for.
Gladys Taber, Stillmeadow Seasons, 1950, Macrae Smith Co.
There are Christmas picture books galore….. Some ideas for you.
Oh how I love love love Luci. And Malcolm! I will look into the other poets. Advent = poetry for me because it’s the surest way I know to slow down.
I need to read Luci Shaw and your Emmanuel Poems! how beautiful! Thank you Jody. ox