A Lynx & Some Links
A Lynx
That’s a mediocre drawing of a lynx. If it looks like I drew it from a tutorial on YouTube, that’s because I did. And so can you. Skill for the arts is something that can be developed with practice. Art requires you to stop and pay attention to the world and the people around you. Like Mary Oliver said, “Attention is the beginning of devotion.” Although, there are plenty of artists whose attention is not love, but an acuity born of spite—there’s no YouTube tutorial to help with that—all I can do is say try your hand at drawing, or writing a paragraph about your favorite song, or learning a song on the guitar. It won’t fix anything, but it’s better than watching videos on YouTube.
Meet Me at The Lighthouse by Dana Gioia
Dana Gioia’s latest book was published today (Feb. 7, 2023). I reviewed it for my friends at Front Porch Republic. The short version is: I recommend it, heartily. Here’s an excerpt of my review.
The poet Dana Gioia turned 72 this last Christmas Eve, and with his latest collection Meet Me at the Lighthouse, Gioia understands he has reached the last stage of his life and career. If there’s any doubt, the book contains an epitaph for himself: “Here lies D.G. A poet? Who can say?” Yet there’s no indication that he’s yielding to the dim twilight of late life either. Rather, he’s heeding T.S. Eliot’s warning. Don’t turn aside. Take up your lantern and charge into the darkness. Sing all the way into the afterlife. Gioia does not linger on the threshold of death; he wants to be our guide through the Inferno and beyond.
Poems Published
Rose Postma, the poetry editor at The Reformed Journal, published a couple of my poems last week and had me on as a guest for her 10 minute podcast. Read and listen below
The Poor You Have Always With You
My friend and professor Joshua Hren published an essay last week, also at Front Porch Republic. I’m not sure how to recommend it to you. There’s a moment in the Gospels when Jesus’ disciples say, “This is surely a hard saying. Who can hear it?” Jesus hears them grumbling and says, “Does this offend you?”
That is how I’ll recommend Joshua’s essay.
I’ve had some good feedback from the last issue on the songs of Ryan Culwell. Always feel free to respond to these newsletters by leaving a comment or replying to the email. I always try to get a response back to you.
I’m Seth Wieck. Thanks for the company.