Voices of Iona
Ebook
In the sixth century, St. Columba founded a retreat off the west coast of Scotland on the island of Iona. Here monastics and pilgrims could find healing and meet with God. For generations to come, Iona served as a focal point throughout the British Isles as a community of work, prayer, and solitude--a meeting place between heaven and earth. Saints and sinners were restored in this island sanctuary, inspiring great works of faith and great works of art. The poems in this volume depict vignettes of pilgrims at various stages on their journey toward Iona. The author, an American expatriate, composed these poems both as a reflection of his own experiences in the British Isles and as votive offerings to prompt interior spiritual pilgrimage within the readers. It is through poetry, Fullman believes, that we, too, can rediscover ourselves and meet with God. For those who have ever left home, or felt estranged in their own home, these poems speak to the heart of displacement and dislocation--and of finding belonging in an unfamiliar land.
“With intensely imaginative verse, Voices of Iona entreats the soul of the sojourner to meditate upon the subtle signals of transcendence that penetrate the shadows of our human condition. Themes of historical rootedness, finding the sacred in the everyday present, and the universal longing for our true home inspire deep reflection upon one’s own pilgrimage. This collection is a rare treasure.”
—Melissa Cain Travis, president, Society for Women of Letters
“I’m so grateful for this contemplative pilgrimage towards transformation, awareness of our place in God’s world, and the power of prayerful introspection. Through these poems, Fullman takes the reader on a series of journeys away from the chaotic present into places where ‘time and history continually fold back upon themselves as we follow the steps of others’ towards the pilgrim’s ultimate destination: our divine home.”
—Scott Manor, president, Knox Theological Seminary
“Fullman leads his readers on a pilgrimage from the Cliffs of Dover to the monastery founded by St. Columba on the Scottish isle of Iona. His verse carries us on with rhythms that are incantatory yet colloquial, subtle yet resonant. This long poem enacts a dialogue between ancient Celtic myths and modern voices. It is at once profoundly learned and deeply personal.”
—Ben Lockard, former president, T. S. Eliot Society
- Title: Voices of Iona
- Author: Joshua S. Fullman
- Publisher: Resource Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2022
- Logos Release Date: 2022
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666755251, 9781666755244, 9781666755237, 1666755257, 1666755249, 1666755230
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666755251
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-18T20:18:58Z
Joshua S. Fullman is professor of English at Faulkner University, where he teaches in the Great Books Honors undergraduate program and the graduate Humanities program. He has twice received Excellence in Teaching awards for his ability to integrate the arts and faith in creative, dynamic ways. His poems and articles have appeared in various journals, including An Unexpected Journal and the North American Anglican Review. Voices of Iona is his debut book of poetry.