“Paintner takes us on a pilgrimage to discover the holiness of the natural world. One long section features stories of Christian saints who had a kinship with animals—herons, ravens, hares, cats, otters. These poems are both charming and whimsical, filled with a sense of divine presence that we have lost in the modern electronic world. In another section, she weaves Irish myths and legends and traditional fairy tales like an intricately laced Celtic knot. Anyone interested in the intersection of poetry, Celtic mythology, and spirituality will surely love this beautiful book as much as I did.”
—Barbara Crooker, poet, author of The Book of Kells and Some Glad Morning
“An inspiring, luscious, deep delve into Earth Wisdom and lively tales of Christian saints; a spirited and intimate re-seeing of the desert mystics and beloved St. Francis and Julian of Norwich, offering their transcendent wisdom. Lyrical poems of praise and jubilation, of kinship with animals and our inner wild, surprising poems of the ecstatic ordinary—poems to gladden the heart, make spirits soar, and invite the soul to linger long in gentle quiet.”
—Judyth Hill, poet, author of Dazzling Wobble and A Presence of Angels
“Poems come in two types: those that reflect the poet, and poems that transcend the poet. Both can touch you; only the second can transform you. Christine Valters Paintner’s The Wisdom of Wild Grace is the latter. Don’t simply read the words, listen to the message. And dare to be transformed.”
—Rabbi Rami Shapiro, poet, author of Accidental Grace: Poems
“The poet intends these poems to be invitations, and they are: invitations to know ourselves better by seeing the world more clearly through the eyes of one who loves it fiercely. It is a wonderful, wonder full collection.”
—Bonnie Thurston, poet, author of O Taste and See and Practicing Silence
St. Gall and the Bear
2020 First Printing
The Wisdom of Wild Grace: Poems
Text copyright © 2020 by Christine Valters Paintner
Illustrations copyright © 2020 by David Hollington, http://davidhollington.co.uk
ISBN 978-1-64060-558-9
The Paraclete Press name and logo (dove on cross) are trademarks of Paraclete Press, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Paintner, Christine Valters, author.
Title: The wisdom of wild grace : poems / Christine Valters Paintner ; illustrations by David Hollington.
Description: Brewster, Massachusetts : Paraclete Press, [2020] | Summary: “These illustrated poems are a doorway to our inner wilderness, to be present to what we discover beyond our neatly controlled worlds”—Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020015881 (print) | LCCN 2020015882 (ebook) | ISBN 9781640605589 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781640605596 (epub) | ISBN 9781640605633 (pdf)
Subjects: LCGFT: Poetry.
Classification: LCC PS3616.A337848 W57 2020 (print) | LCC PS3616.A337848 (ebook) | DDC 811/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020015881
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020015882
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All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Published by Paraclete Press
Brewster, Massachusetts
Printed in China
Contents •
St. Hildegard Gives Her Writing Advice
St. Brigid and the Oystercatchers
St. Francis and the Grasshopper