Many thanks to Sarah Law over at Amethyst Review, who just published my essay on poetry and the sacred. You can read it here.

Sarah's avatarAmethyst Review

RISKING THE SACRED

Many years ago now, while living in California, I was sitting in a mostly-empty university library, surprised to find a literary manifesto in a fairly prominent US magazine. Seeing almost immediately that it was just a lot of posturing and attitude, I gave up. Turning, I saw that behind me on a shelf was a set of books, Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, an area of history whose religion and mythology—from Egypt to Mesopotamia and early Judaism—had always held my interest. I gladly pulled the first volume off the shelf, and put the magazine aside.

Up until now, hindsight always made this the moment when I chose an interest in “the sacred in literature” over the much larger net of “literature” itself. But just as the order and meaning derived from religion is often used to oppose the random cruelty of everyday life, I’ve spent…

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#216: Poets, Prophets, Seeresses & Goddesses from Time & the River Human Voices Wake Us

An episode from 2/9/2026: This is the second episode where I read from my upcoming book Time and the River: From Columbine to the Invention of Fire, which comes out on February 23.This time, I read seven of my favorite poems from the point of view of women. They are:Mr Cassian’s Good Friend, Emily DickinsonVölvaSong to SequanaEponaThe Seeress of VixMiriamMorgan le FayAs I mention, more information about the continental Celtic goddesses Equana and Epona can be found in Miranda Green’s Myth and Symbol in Celtic Religious Art. My article on the burial at Vix is in issue #45 of Ancient World.The best way to support the podcast is by leaving a review on Apple or Spotify, sharing it with others, or sending me a note on what you think. You can also order any of my books: Time and the River: From Columbine to the Invention of Fire, due out next year, is now available for preorder. Other books include Notes from the Grid, To the House of the Sun, The Lonely Young & the Lonely Old, and Bone Antler Stone. I've also edited a handful of books in the S4N Pocket Poems series. I also have a YouTube channel where I share poems and excerpts from these books, mostly as YouTube shorts.Email me at humanvoiceswakeus1@gmail.com.
  1. #216: Poets, Prophets, Seeresses & Goddesses from Time & the River
  2. #215: 8 Favorite Poems from "Time and the River"
  3. #214: Two of the Best Poems You've Never Heard of (by William Cullen Bryant)
  4. #213: Van Gogh's Early Years
  5. #212: The Most Popular Story in Ancient India
  6. #211: Who Was William Cullen Bryant?
  7. #210: Memories & Legends of William Shakespeare
  8. #209 – Being a Jew in 1900, Being a Jew Now
  9. #208: Bach & God
  10. #207 – Death, the Gods, and Endless Life in Ancient Egypt

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