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Wendell Berry

Famous novelist/poet Wendell Berry once wrote to “practice resurrection!”

It is the final line in his famous poem: “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front” written in 1973 and will be among the many lines of poetry discussed in St. Richard’s Episcopal Church’s “Summoning the Divine Through Literature” readings this fall. Participants will able to explore the sacred ties to God, land, nature and one another through the emotional poems and essays of four well-known writers: Wendell Berry, Gary Snyder, Linda Hogan and Mary Oliver.

The four authors will be discussed in three two-day sessions scheduled to run September, October and November at the Winter Park church. Berry’s writings will be discussed Sept. 25-26. A Kentucky native who also is a professor and farmer, he has received numerous awards.

On Oct. 23-24, Snyder and Berry will be discussed. Snyder, a resident of the Pacific Northwest, is referred to as the “Poet Laureate of Deep Ecology.” A professor, Asian-language translator and Pulitzer Prize winner, Snyder received fame for his “Turtle Mountain” collection. He became a Zen Master in Japan.

A month later, Hogan and Oliver will be discussed on Nov. 20-21. Hogan, who is the child of a Chickasaw father and a white-heritage mother, is known for her beautiful storytelling. The Denver native has won many awards, including the PEN Thoreau Prize.

Oliver is an Episcopal convert whom the New York Times calls “far and away this country’s best-selling poet.” A Pulitzer Prize winner, she is known for her nature poetry. A Cleveland native, she later moved to New York and then Massachusetts before settling in Key West.

“These writers have diverse heritage and faith backgrounds – Episcopalian, Baptist, Zen Buddhist, and ancient tribal beliefs heavily influenced by Christianity,” said “Summoning the Divine” director Pamela Menke in a church newsletter. “Their writing is powerful, accessible, and moving.”

Participants also will hear brief selections from Henry David Thoreau, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Robinson Jeffers, haiku artists, and a Chinese poet – all of whom influenced the spotlight authors, Menke said.

“I’ve loved working on this material and express my gratitude to Leslie Poole, whose invitation that I do a session on poetry for her environmental class started me on this journey,” Menke said. “You have an adventure in store, and I hope you’ll be able to share all or part of this journey with us.”

Email Menke at menkepamela@yahoo.com for more information.