179: Christian Wiman: Poetry Against Despair

No Small Endeavor with Lee C. Camp

“Suffering, I think, catalyzes an intimacy that couldn't happen otherwise.”

Christian Wiman, renowned poet and teacher at Yale Divinity School, does not say these words flippantly. Two decades ago, he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and given a life expectancy of five years. He has lived the past twenty years in the shadow of death and the grip of despair.

In this episode, while discussing his recent memoir “Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair,” Christian explores faith, doubt, joy, and sorrow in the way only a great poet can, taking the stuff of life - the mundane, confusing, chaotic, and tragic - and making meaning out of it.

Show Notes

Resources mentioned this episode:

"Zero at the Bone" by Christian Wiman

"My Bright Abyss" by Christian Wiman

Similar NSE episodes:

Christian Wiman: The Opposite of Faith is Certainty

Pádraig Ó Tuama: A Poet’s Work in Peace and Reconciliation

Clay Hobbs: The Wisdom of Numbering Your Days

Angela Williams Gorrell and Miroslav Volf: On Joy and Sorrow

Transcription Link

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