For the Beauty of It

I write this note from Houston, where the University of Saint Thomas Summer Writers Institute begins tomorrow. For three days, participants from around the country will convene to discuss theology and the arts, the history and practice of literary craft, and their own work. Through a generous donation, we were able to pay for all students' tuition and food for the Institute. We kept the numbers low to ensure an intimate but convivial gathering and personal attention to each participant's writing. As soon as that concludes, the first annual MFA residency in creative writing will begin and, for ten days, our students will gather to discuss poetry and fiction, to critique each other's work, and to hear from some of the great writers of our day. Indeed, the Saint Thomas Summer Literary Series will run from tomorrow through June 28th and bring an incredible slate of writers and scholars to Houston to discuss the future of Catholic letters.

Online silence will soon descend, and so let me share just a few items in the usual monthly update. I have a new poem to share, two new essays (including one bringing to a close my three-part Map of Dante), and a miscellany of lectures and podcast appearances, all viewable or listenable just by clicking the images below.

The selection of videos here may prove a little overwhelming: a lecture on the Catholic imagination in American poetry, my participation in a discussion of the classic Italian film La Strada, some thoughts on poetry, and my conversation with several distinguished writers on the question of literature, form, and story.

Our Lord Saith

Science, Prayer, and the Density of Being

A Map of Dante's Paradiso in Three Touchstones