Judith Sornberger

In Angel Chimes, Judith Sornberger reaches back into the ancient stories of Advent and Christmas, drawing on artwork across six centuries (beautifully reproduced here), as she illuminates our own sacred stories--personal, family, and communal. One need not be religious to enjoy this beautifully designed book. "Reading this concentrated gem of a book, one is triply gifted--with the poet's words, the artists' images, and the true spirit of the holidays. Anyone who spend time within these radiant pages emerge blessed." Alison Townsend

This spiritually resonant collection in forms as various as psalms, Tai Chi, meditation, needlework, lament, thanksgiving, and hanging out the wash lead the reader into prayer-like contemplation. Personal, political, and planetary brokenness are considered throughout, yet these poems seek to create from their shards a mosaic of meaning in which we find ourselves connected to one another and to the divine.

The delights and conflicts of a long and loving marriage are revealed in these luminous poems written as the poet's husband is diagnosed with cancer, endures treatments, and dies, all within months. The pleasures of the present moment--birds at the feeder, creatures wild and domestic, dancing in the kitchen with her husband, and arguing hysterically about the afterlife--shimmer with life. Even as the poet mourns, grief gradually transforms into a deeper capacity for joy.

Acclaimed poet and scholar Judith Sornberger recounts her journey through faith in this beautiful personal memoir. Visiting the churches and museums of Italy, she discovers insights into the place of Mary, along with other women, in a life of faith and service. Within this carefully told narrative, the reader will find much to influence his or her own remarable journey of faith.