Luci Shaw (born December 29, 1928) is a Christian writer of poetry and essays.[1][2]
Luci Shaw | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 29, 1928 |
| Citizenship | American (naturalized in 1995) |
| Alma mater | Wheaton (1953) |
| Occupation(s) | poet, essay writer |
| Spouses |
|
Background
editShaw was born on December 29, 1928, in England.[2] Her parents were medical missionaries, and she lived in Canada and Australia before moving to the United States to attend Wheaton College, Illinois.[3] Shaw graduated from Wheaton in 1953 with high honors.[3][4]
Shaw became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1995.[2]
Shaw is now Writer in Residence at Regent College, Vancouver. She lectures on art and spirituality, the Christian imagination, poetry-writing, and journaling as an aid to artistic and spiritual growth.[5]
She has published ten volumes of poetry (several still in print) and numerous non-fiction books, and has edited and collaborated on multiple other works, including several with Madeleine L'Engle.[6] Her poems are widely anthologized.[1] Shaw usually works in free verse, and typically her poems are quite short, less than a page. Nevertheless, in tone and content, she affiliates most readily with the transcendental poets, often finding in natural details and themes the touch of the eternal or other-worldly.[citation needed]
She is a charter member of the Chrysostom Society, an organization of published writers which "serves the Christian community by promoting the development of quality literature."[7]
Shaw married Harold Shaw and had five children: Robin, Marian, John, Jeffrey, and Kristin.[2] Shaw and her husband started a publishing house, Harold Shaw Publishers, in the basement of their home in 1972.[3][4] After Harold died from lung cancer in 1986, Shaw became president of Harold Shaw Publishers.[3][4][8] Stephen Board became owner of Harold Shaw Publishers in 1990 and sold it to Random House's WaterBrook Press in 2000.[9]
Shaw married John Hoyte in 1991.[8] They are members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Bellingham, Washington, where they currently live.[1][6]
Selected works
editPoetry
edit- Listen to the Green (1973)
- The Secret Trees (1976)
- The Sighting (1981)
- Postcard from the Shore (1986)
- Writing the River (1994)
- The Angles of Light (2000)
- The Green Earth (2002)
- Water Lines (2003)
- Polishing the Petoskey Stone (2003)
- What the Light Was Like (2006)
- Accompanied by Angels (2006)
- Harvesting Fog (2010)
- Scape (2013)
- Thumbprint in the Clay (2016)
- Sea Glass (2016)
- Eye of the Beholder (2019)
- The Generosity (2020)
Non-fiction
edit- Colossians: Focus on the Cross Fisherman Bible Studyguides (1982)
- God in the Dark: Through Grief and Beyond (1989)
- Life Path: Personal And Spiritual Growth through Journal Writing (1991)
- Horizons: Exploring Creation with Timothy Botts (1992)
- Friends for the Journey with Madeleine L'Engle (1997)
- Water My Soul: Cultivating the Interior Life; foreword by Eugene Peterson (2003)
- WinterSong: Christmas Readings with Madeleine L'Engle (2004)
- The Crime of Living Cautiously: Hearing God's Call to Adventure (2005)
- Adventure of Ascent: Field Notes from a Lifelong Journey (2014)
Use in music
editA number of Shaw's works have been set to music, by a variety of composers:
- Alan Cline used "God in the Dark" as the basis for a cantata.
- Knut Nystedt (Norwegian composer) did a setting for "Mary's Song", sung and recorded by the Elektra Choir of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and appears on their album, Child of Grace.
- Alice Parker (American) set three of Shaw's poems for a song cycle.
- Frederick Frahm (American) composed settings for solo and choir for three of Shaw's poems, "Star Song," "Down He Came From Up," and "Heart Stable". Frahm also composed a Cantata for Michaelmas based on Shaw's poem “Angel Vision" and a Christmas Cantata (“From East to West”) based on texts by Shaw.
- Ed Henderson (Canadian) composed a choral setting for "Star Song".
- Roland Fudge (English) composed a choral setting for "One", "Celestial Light", and "Steadfast Taper".
References
edit- ^ a b c Shaw, Luci. Biography. Accessed October 16, 2007.
- ^ a b c d "Biographical Information". Luci Shaw. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Luci Shaw". Chrysostom Society. May 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ a b c Stetson, Nancy (19 November 1989). "Poet Luci Shaw Deal Honestly with Doubts and Struggles". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- ^ "50 Women You Should Know". Christianity Today. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
- ^ a b Overstreet, Anne M. Doe. "A Conversation with Luci Shaw". Image Journal. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ "Chrysostom Society". Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ a b Stiles, Peter (2010). "Luci Shaw (1928-)". The Encyclopedia of Christian Literature, Volume 1. Scarecrow Press. pp. 559–560. ISBN 9780810872837.
- ^ "PW: RH Acquires Harold Shaw". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
External links
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