Horizons of Joy:
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The Companion Journal
"Love plays the long game in the dialectic of our becoming..." This Companion Journal provides a space for the exploration of that long game through meditative creative prompts, rooted in words and phrases that accompany us as we cross over Winter's thresholds, whether those thresholds last one evening in the turning of the year, or whether we are held in them for longer stretches of our lives. Words and phrases, like stillness, magi, embers, yearning, and auld lang syne, offer us room to reflect, grow, and flourish in relation to the meanings they carry within us, as the days shorten and the evenings deepen. Enjoy exploring within this journal on its own, or in tandem with its generative collection, Horizons of Joy: Poetic Thresholds for Winter, which also offers the deeps stories of these words along with accompanying poems. |
Critical Praise for Horizons of Joy
Praise for Horizons of Joy by Carol Coffee Reposa
"Mary Lynne Hill has written a book like no other. Her Horizons of Joy: Poetic Thresholds for Winter far exceeds the promise of its title, as this work takes readers on a spiritual pilgrimage encompassing everything from Beowulf and wintercearig (winter sorrow) to the Beatles and Santana. In this inventive blend of poetry, meditation, prompts, history, and formidable linguistic scholarship, Hill invites us to revisit and perhaps revise cherished but worn assumptions about not just winter itself but the season's multitude of connotations and trappings. Ultimately, she performs verbal magic, transforming seemingly commonplace words like stillness or snow into numinous forces capable of changing lives, and for the better. What a gift!"
Carol Coffee Reposa, author of four books of poetry, three-time Pushcart Prize nominee, four-time Fulbright Scholar in Russia, Peru, Ecuador, and Mexico, member of the Texas Institute of Letters, member of the editorial staff of Voices de la Luna, and 2018 Texas Poet Laureate. |
Praise for Horizons of Joy by Eddie Vega
"Horizons of Joy is much more than a book of poetry, a collection of essays, or a series of meditations. The pages herein take the reader on a scholarly and meditatively poetic journey. Thoroughly well-researched, each poem and meditation lead one to deeper understanding of the winters we each go through. Hill starts with the simplest of words – Bright, Day, Night – before reaching more profound meditative depths – Merriment, Ornament, Twinkle."
Come for the poems, stay for the mediation, learn some etymology along the way. Most importantly, as you stand patiently at each threshold, allow Hill to be your guide in a meaningful and introspective contemplation. Eddie Vega, poet, spoken word artist, educator, 2nd place winner Haiku Death Match 2017 National Poetry Slam, San Antonio Tricentennial Poet, and author of Chicharra Chorus. |
Praise for Horizons of Joy by Julia Walsh, F.S.P.A.
"When winter arrives in the part of the world where I reside, I often feel an eagerness to embrace the holy darkness and her companions: quiet and stillness. With Horizons of Joy: Poetic Thresholds for Winter, I now have a guidebook for reflection. This finely crafted work of creative nonfiction is both contemplative and studious, engaging both the heart and mind. Each offering illumines ordinary—and frequently overlooked—parts of the human experience: horizon, ember, calm, listen, hearth, holly, ornament. This beautiful book both will fascinate those who are curious about etymology and inspire those who are seeking prompts for reflection. This book will be a gift to many!"
Julia Walsh, Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, educator, retreat director, author, and host of the Messy Jesus Business podcast and blog. |