Untimely Lightenings: Being Poems Again

“Nature and history, the Liturgy and the Kalendar, contemporary events both public and personal—all snake their way through the thickets of metaphor in these poems. And the relation between time and Eternity is never far away.”—AIDAN NICHOLS, OP, formerly Pope John Paul II Memorial Lecturer in Roman Catholic Theology, University of Oxford

“Anna Rist’s second volume of poems is a joy to read. The collection exalts not just in the Body of Christ but in people and places of importance to her. All have helped nourish faith. These are not simple poems. They are personal reflections, meditations, and prayers. In a time of rampant secularization, war, political sleaze, and unreliable economics, Anna Rist gently turns the reader’s attention to the beauties of our environment, the importance of family and friends, and faith in something far greater than ourselves.”—MICHAEL SCOTT, Senior Research Fellow and Senior Dean, Blackfriars Hall, Oxford

“Something is astir. A new Catholic literary revival is rising from the ashes of the deadbeat and beaten-to-death wasteland. Poets are on the move. One of the finest is Anna Rist. In this collection of her stimulating and often startling verse, we see a heart aflame with the love of God and the love of life. Hers is an exiled heart longing for home, but a heart also at home with the grandeur of God in nature and in everyday life. Her verses are wordscapes creating seascapes and landscapes and soundscapes. This is the poetry of a life fully lived and fully loved.”—JOSEPH PEARCE, author of Frodo’s Journey: Discover the Hidden Meaning of The Lord of the Rings