Charlotte Ostermann

Catholic Speaker

Let's talk about your need for holy leisure, interior freedom, poetic education, creative expression and cultural engagement. Authentic, joyful, humorous...many talks to choose from...custom crafted presentations...workshops, retreats, group facilitation...let me help you!

  • Catholic Speaker
    • About Me
      • Speaker Bio
    • My Talks
    • Events
    • Testimonials
    • Media Kit
      • Topics for Podcasts & Talk Shows
      • Audio & Video Samples
        • Events
  • Catholic Author
    • Books
    • My Poetry
    • Motherheart Press
  • Catholic Blogger
    • Blog
    • I Write for Catholic Blogs
  • Catholic Creative
    • My Projects
      • News
    • Welcome to Bright City
    • Support for Art and Artists – Not as Expensive as You Think!
    • Talks for Writers and Artists
    • The JOY Foundation of Kansas
  • Catholic Poet
    • My Poetry
  • Catholic Educator
    • My Reading
    • Talks for Parent Educators
    • Talks for High School & College Students
    • Talks for Book Study Groups
  • Contact Me
  • My Blog
You are here: Home / Looking for Catholic Poets

By charlotteostermann19@gmail.com

Looking for Catholic Poets

Christ playsDuring National Poetry Month, I’m on the lookout for Catholic poets who might want a bit of promoting. It’s easy for the dead poets – they are safely in the canon, and people can recommend the best of them knowing others have vetted their work (and that they didn’t do anything too embarassing before they died).

Then there are the Poets Who Have Made It – the Dana Gioias, Denise Levertovs, Paul Marianis, Christian Wimans and other truly fine poets who really don’t need publicity. I’m looking for those in the middle, whose poetry I have admired, or who have been highly recommended as up-and-comers.

I don’t have any academic credentials to back up my taste in poetry – just my own response to this or that poem I’ve seen. I do have an aversion to poetry that seems to be mere prose chopped into ‘poetic’ looking lines. I dislike super sappy sweetness and sing-song verse. I prefer poets who seem to be conveying a personal experience – even if of some doctrinal truth, or eternal verity – over those who seem to be looking at experience from the outside and using it as material for a class in poetry. I like to be surprised, blessed, challenged to read it again, or to feel a universal ‘yes’ on entering a poet’s particularity of lived encounter with realities – even small ones. I dislike propaganda intensely – using poetry as a vehicle to preach at me sends your poem right to the bottom of the stack.

I discovered some amateur Catholic poets on CatholicPlanet. From this loooong list, I read at least one poem by every poet – whew! I picked a few I’d like to share, and am investigating whether the poets have books out they’d like to have me buy and give away to my readers. I liked:

A Prayer for Humilty, by Diane Allen  who has written some books of stories about Padre Pio, but doesn’t seem to have a book of her poetry out just yet.

Exodus Revisited, by W.H. Smaw who hasn’t a book out.

Annunciation, by Stephen Wentworth Arndt, who has translated Dante and put lots of lovely poetry out for free on Catholic Planet, but doesn’t seem to have a volume of his own work out yet.

So, I’ve ordered some other books by Catholic poets, and the following ones are ready to give away to the first person who asks (simply comment here, or email me: Speaker@CharlotteOstermann.com).

Just ask for your free copy of:

Pavel Chichikov’s So Tell Us, Christ (I link here to the books on Amazon just so you can see them, but I will mail you the free copy myself).

Kathryn Mulderink’s To Sing You Must Exhale

Ruth Asch’s Reflections

I like a number of poems already in each of these books. Particularly Chichikov’s Bring Us Up, It Is Near, and As From My Emptiness; Mulderink’s Signals and Didymus; and Asch’s Baptism by Fire and End of a Day. I hope you’ll enjoy these poems and have the poets’ names in your hearts as you pray for artists now and then.

I’m still looking. Do you have favorites? I found Mark Shea recommending Bruce Newman and discovered Philip Kolin somewhere in all my searching. I’ve ordered books of poetry by Christopher Kelder, Sarah de Nordwall and Kevin Casey to give you. I should note that I’ve ordered my own copy, too, of each of these!

Is anyone out there teaching poetry? I have two copies of Place of Passage: Contemporary Catholic Poetry to give away that would be lovely for a survey. They include some deads (Merton, Wojtyla), some stars (Mariani, Gioia), and some up-and-comers, for which I thank the editors, David Craig (who once, in an online poetry workshop, said he’d like to have written a couple of the lines in my poem John’s Song…just sayin’) and Janet McCann.

Naturally, my offer still stands to send up to ten copies of my own A Destiny to Burn to anyone who asks. Bless you for reading one and giving away the others with a word about how critically important poetry is for human being!

destiny cover

One final word: This giveaway will appear in an upcoming update of my 25 Ways to Help an Artist: The Art of Low-Cost Philanthropy. The total cost to me will be less than $200, and that counts as “low-cost” in the world of art promotions. I hope you’ll do it too, plus at least 24 other things, to help along the Catholic artists who are giving themselves back to the Church, through the Church to the world, and to other artists and students of art by doing what they do.

 

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: About Art, About My Books, Community & Culture, Dare Something, Innovation & Creativity, My Reading, My Talks Tagged With: Poetry

Free for You: Motherheart Collection

Souls at Rest: An Exploration of the Eucharistic Sabbath

Souls at Rest: An Exploration of the Eucharistic Sabbath

Souls At Work: An Invitation to Freedom

Souls At Work: An Invitation to Freedom

DARE YOUR SOMETHING!

Dare Your Something!

JOY! JOY! JOY!

The JOY Foundation of Kansas

Do You Need a Speaker?

  • My Talks
  • Three-Part Retreats
  • Audio & Video Samples
  • Poetry Workshops

Talks for Writers and Artists

Talks for Spiritual Retreats

Talks for Parent Educators

Talks for Women

Talks for High School & College Students

Talks for Writers and Artists

Blogging About My Talks

Mother Church, Our Role Model

Mother Church, Our Role Model

This was one of the first formal talks I ever gave as a Catholic. No wonder it’s all about the Church, where I had just discovered so much richness and beauty and perfection. I loved having her before me as an image of motherhood. Unlike dear Mother Mary, Mother Church has had some seriously wayward […]

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
High Resolution Beauty

High Resolution Beauty

For an Apostles of the Interior Life Women’s Retreat, where the theme was “The King Desires Your Beauty,”  I prepared this truly interesting talk. Will you believe me when I say that this is another of my favorites?!?! I know, I’ve said that about a  lot of these talks, but revisiting them to give a […]

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
Reflections of an Inside-Out, Upside-Down, Backwards Book Publisher

Reflections of an Inside-Out, Upside-Down, Backwards Book Publisher

For the National League of American Pen Women, I got to tell the surprising story of my book, Souls at Rest – the inside scoop for fellow writers and artists. People understandably think I’m a bit crazy for self-publishing the first edition of SAR instead of going the more conventional Real Publisher route. (It is […]

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
Whatever Became of the Dare?

Whatever Became of the Dare?

The 2016 Dare Something Challenge turned into a book! I hope if you missed the year’s encouragement to dare your something, you’ll check out the extended book version. Blessings to all who dare! Related

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
A Love Poem for Two Voices

A Love Poem for Two Voices

In a discussion of my poem by this title, we look at the pain a woman may feel upon being loved by Christ. It is sometimes a very difficult thing to be loved, and to receive love. Many women have related to my example of a woman who fights that love as though her life […]

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
Spiritual Dialogue

Spiritual Dialogue

Spiritual friendship begins with unity, and unity begins at the Cross of Christ. We need help learning how to approach and enter into dialogue with people of other faiths, lesser faith, or no faith, without denying our own  beliefs. St. Pope John Paul believed this kind of communication is the key to evangelization in our […]

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

More Posts About My Talks

Explore Posts by Category:

Search this site:

A Merry Drinker

A Merry Drinker

 “The Merry Drinker,” by Frans Hals This is a portrait of an unnamed man, called in the title only ‘a merry drinker’. Related

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
A Drawing In

A Drawing In

On my living room wall you’ll see the painting, A Drawing In, by Peggy Shopen. Related

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
Me, Free

Me, Free

FREE Parent Education Opportunity for Homeschoolers!! I’m getting ready for the 2017 Conference: Homeschooling to Rock the World and The Intellectual Life. This offer I made for you last year still stands! I am available to give FREE Parent Education presentations for small groups.  Get the pdf here. Related

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
Frankenstein is a Great Conversation Starter!

Frankenstein is a Great Conversation Starter!

With her circle of Romantic, ‘free’ spirited friends, Mary Shelley perceived the dark side of the ascendancy of scientific, materialist rationalism over nature, poetry and feelings. She was less aware of the dangers to humanity of her own set’s elevation of emotional passion and nature worship into the vacuum left by the Enlightenment’s dismissal of […]

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

More Posts About Art

Tags

art artist Beauty Brick capacity Chesterton Christ Church communication community conversation Creation creativity culture dialogue disintegration Education Eucharist evangelization form formation freedom friendship fun growth healing Homemaking humanity intellectual life interior life leisure love motherhood Parenting person Personhood Poetry prayer reading reality response Sabbath senses Women writing

I’m a Member:

Family - Apostles of the Interior LIfe

Communion & Liberation

Association of Catholic Women Bloggers

Catholic Writers Guild

Catholic Creatives Salon

Northeast KS Chesterton Society

Sursum Corda Polyphony Ensemble

St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center

Friends of Most Pure Heart of Mary Schola Cantorum

Guild of St. Joseph and St. Mary - supporters of the School of the Annunciation at Buckfast Abbey, UK

Well Read Mom

On Raising Boys

On Raising Boys

 It’s hard being a boy these days, in a sanitized, feminized environment where it’s so unsafe to run around on your own. I just finished a list of ideas to help a mom help her boys, and thought it might be helpful for others. For what it’s worth: Related

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
Salon Season 14

Salon Season 14

The Catholic Creatives Salon invites you to read the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins together in Season 14. Love, love, love his poetry…can’t wait to share it! Related

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
We Will Be Like Trees

We Will Be Like Trees

I enjoyed creating this talk to fit into a women’s retreat about Christ’s offer of “living water”. They gave me a free hand to choose my topic and approach, and I chose the promise, in Psalm 1, that we “shall be like trees, planted by streams of living water.” Their focus was on the woman […]

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
Can You Practice for Purgatory?

Can You Practice for Purgatory?

Purgatory – you’re in Heaven’s ante-chamber and there’s work to be done. But you can’t do it. The days of your power to act in your own behalf, to cultivate the self, are over. You’re here to be acted upon, to be purified, to be loved. As C.S. Lewis has pointed out, the “weight of […]

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

More Posts About Education

  • Authentic Woman
  • Innovation & Creativity
  • IMHO
  • My Poetry
  • My Talks
  • My Reading
  • Homemade Humor
  • Motherheart
  • I Write for Catholic Blogs

Copyright © 2018 · Executive Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in