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Tue 13Tue 13Mon 10Mass Culture: Theological Engagement and Spiritual Practice
Mon 10 May, 2:00 pm to Thu 13 May, 2:00 pmMeet the Academic Staff
Karen O’Donnell
Coordinator, Centre for Contemporary Spirituality Read more
Tim Harle
Coordinator for the Centre for Leadership Learning Read more
Jon Morgan
Coordinator of the Centre for Theology, Imagination and Culture Read more
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- This event has passed.
The Poet as Priest: David Jones
- Course Dates: Fri 11 May 2018, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Have you ever considered how a poet can also have a priestly function?
If the priest is someone who mediates between human beings and the divine or spiritual realm, then this could be said of the poet as much as of the minister of religion. The notion of the poet as shaman, as a mediator between the human world and the spirit world, is a very ancient and ubiquitous one.
Although officially these roles have been separated in the Christian tradition, there are many examples of those who have combined these two vocations. The modernist poet and artist David Jones (1895-1974) explores this poetic role particularly in his essay, ‘Art and Sacrament’, which describes human creativity as the bridge between the material and spiritual worlds.
Beth Dodd will introduce the day with an outline of the ways in which the role of the poet and the priest can intersect, with examples from the history of poetry. Hilary Davies will then address this theme both as a scholar of David Jones and as a poet herself.
The day will include practical activities as well as close reading of Jones’ work.