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Forget your perfect offering / There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in. — Leonard Cohen, Anthem
In this rich treasury of prose poems on matters theological, spiritual, mystical, and everyday, popular Catholic author Brian Doyle offers readers a lyrical but commonsense take on the ways grace, prayer, sin, love, boredom, joy, suffering and redemption play out in our daily lives. Doyle’s hundred-plus proems are lyrical creations resembling poetry, but devoid of any meter or typical poetic structure—and yet they are not strictly prose either. Some are droll and acid takes on modern life; others spirit-lifting paeans to the joy of creation; still others humorous and light appreciations of the grace-filled moments that can fill the day of any person paying close enough attention.
Brian Doyle is the editor of Portland Magazine at the University of Portland, OR and the author of many books of essays and fiction, notably the novels Mink River and The Plover. Among honors for his work are the Catholic Book Award, three Pushcart Prizes, and the Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Harper’s, The New York Times, and in many other periodicals around the world.
