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Poetry for the People

By Clinton and Sarah Collister

For centuries, poetry was a unifying force in society: farmers and aristocrats alike shared a common knowledge and participated, to a large extent, in a common poetic story. Nowadays, things have changed. Poetry has been pigeon-holed to the classroom or the academy, and therefore become less approachable. Our project is to reclaim poetry one poem at a time, placing it back in the rightful hands of the people!

Good Advice for Thesis Writers

Umberto Ecco

This is important advice because nowadays many tend to write “alternative” theses, in which the rules of critical discourse are not respected. But the language of the thesis is a metalanguage, that is, a language that speaks of other languages. A psychiatrist who describes the mentally ill does not express himself in the manner of his patients. I am not saying that it is wrong to express oneself in the manner of the so-called mentally ill. In fact, you could reasonably argue that they are the only ones who express themselves the way one should. But here you have two choices: either you do not write a thesis, and you manifest your desire to break with tradition by refusing to earn your degree, perhaps learning to play the guitar instead; or you write your thesis, but then you must explain to everyone why the language of the mentally ill is not a “crazy” language, and to do it you must use a metalanguage intelligible to all. The pseudo-poet who writes his thesis in poetry is a pitiful writer (and probably a bad poet). From Dante to Eliot and from Eliot to Sanguineti, when avant-garde poets wanted to talk about their poetry, they wrote in clear prose. And when Marx wanted to talk about workers, he did not write as a worker of his time, but as a philosopher. Then, when he wrote The Communist Manifesto with Engels in 1848, he used a fragmented journalistic style that was provocative and quite effective.

Read more here.

Check Out The North American Anglican

The BOOKCASE at The North American Anglican is a new site where you can read lovely and meaningful poetry. The site also offers book reviews and podcasts. It is especially geared to Anglicans, but people of all Christian denominations would find it interesting.

The North American Anglican exists to glorify Christ and to serve the people of his Church. We hope to provide a resource and forum for proclaiming and discussing those Evangelical and Catholic truths, which find their home in historic Anglican theology.

Regular contributors share a commitment to the supreme authority of sacred scripture in matters of faith and morals. They also gladly affirm the 39 Articles of Religion and the historic Book of Common Prayer, as authoritative norms and standards for authentic Anglican faith and piety.

Our desire is to participate in and curate a renaissance of both Christian theology and the arts. Keeping in focus a special emphasis on the many historic contributions that the Anglican tradition has made and continues to make, in the realm of beauty in worship and in daily life.

To these ends you will find contributions from clergyman and layperson, scholar and homemaker, Anglican theologian and kindred members of other branches of Christ’s Church. We hope you’ll enjoy what others have offered here, and consider making your own contribution to our cause. Join us as we celebrate the richness of our Christian heritage, and seek to faithfully proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection to a generation that desperately needs Him.