Noted Christian Poet to Visit Hillsdale College

Home Culture Noted Christian Poet to Visit Hillsdale College

Poet and essayist James Matthew Wilson will be reading from his not-yet-released book of poetry at Hillsdale next week. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17, in the Gillespie Room in the Dow Center.
The Villanova University humanities professor will be reading aloud from his new chapbook (a small, sewn pamphlet) entitled “The Violent and the Fallen.” The program, which lasts until 8:30 p.m., will also include readings from Wilson’s earlier poetry.
“His poems put Christian themes in very vivid, contemporary settings,” said Lorraine Eadie,  assistant professor of English.
Wilson, an award-winning scholar of philosophical-theology and literature, openly admits to the Christian inspiration behind his compositions.
In the acknowledgements for “The Violent and the Fallen,” Wilson wrote, “But it seems fitting…to raise one’s voice in gratitude for the guidance of the saints, Thomas and Augustine in particular, whose geniuses have helped to give these poems their form and measure.”
During his career, Professor Wilson’s poetry and essays have appeared in journals and periodicals such as The Dark Horse, Chronicles, Measure, The American Conservative, and Front Porch Republic. “The Violent and the Fallen,” set for publication on Nov. 22, 2013, is Wilson’s second chapbook of poetry. He is also the author of “Four Verse Letters,” published in 2010.