St. Thomas and the Forbidden Birds and other Advent News

The time has arrived for a mid-Advent update, and I have at least a couple items to share, both of them related to First Things magazine.

In the January issue, my new poem, "St. Thomas and the Forbidden Birds" appears.  If you have errantly doubted the poetic virtues of the Summa Theologica before, this poem will set you straight.  (Click Aquinas to read.)

First Things has also just released the recording of my lecture, "Between Self and Soul," which ranges from Hopkins and Yeats to Aldous Huxley, Augustine, and Plato to consider the question, "What does difference does it make to have a soul?" (Click the First Things​ logo to read.)

If you are shopping for a fine Christmas present for a dear friend or family member (or, perhaps, an enemy) may I suggest to consider Some Permanent Things, The Fortunes of Poetry in an Age of Unmaking, or my latest book, The Vision of the Soul: Truth, Goodness and Beauty in the Western Tradition?  Click on the Vision book cover to visit a selection of reviews of these and other titles.