Jacob Stratman

Whether he's attending to a chestnut tree or watching his child play god to a box full of Lego body parts, Jacob Stratman invites readers to walk with him through observations about nature, parenting, aging, memory, and faith. "No one discovers truth; it is revealed," Stratman declares in a poem for his son's 13th birthday-then adds, "Though nothing's revealed without kicking first?" In the shell of things, some poems record the kicking, but many poems do the kicking, and the whole book is a revelation.-Katie Manning, editor-in-chief of Whale Road Review, author of Hereverent and Tasty Otherthe shell of things, Jacob Stratman's startling new collection, opens up a life ordinary and a life less ordinary to the possibility of something other. Reading it, at times it feels like I'm prying. Poems about soccer, children, their teenage crushes, church soup kitchens, sit cheek-to-cheek with close observations on death-loved ones, plants, roadkill-and the dislocation of a life abroad. It is a collection where each poem-the poet perhaps, too-is vigilant, attentive, seeking understanding, aware that somewhere lies a richness and hope. It is one inviting us, perhaps on our knees, to look closer and deeper. But ultimately it asks us not to dwell in the details we might find, instead asking us to examine that which prevents us accepting the grace we uncover.-Ben Egerton, author of The Seed DrillHere are poems rich with metaphors taken from the natural world: buzzards mistaken (like hope) for pileated woodpeckers, "dogwoods and redbuds losing their celebrity" as spring deepens into summer, a little fish hooked so firmly it is ripped to its death. These are strong and sturdy poems, but the highlight of this collection is the stunning, lyrical sequence which describes the author's residency in Korea where "he can only see the shell of things" as he lives in a new land and language, requiring acts of creation provoked by an unfamiliar setting as he finds his footing and searches for the words to describe what he observes.-Jill Pel ez Baumgaertner, author of From Shade to Shine, poetry editor of The Christian Century

Discover the Good Life as you learn from the wise voices of the past. We've lost ourselves. Disconnected from the past and uncertain about the future, we are anxious about what our lives will be and troubled by a nagging sense of meaninglessness. Adrift in the world, many Christians have their identity completely wrapped up in work, and their definition of the "good life" is financial success. Fewer of are staying committed to the Christian faith, finding it difficult to reconcile their experience with their longings and desires. With so much uncertainty, where can we find a true vision of "the Good Life"? Learning the Good Life speaks to this malaise with a curated collection of voices from the past, inviting Christians into an ages-old dialogue with some of history's wisest and most reflective minds. Featuring thought-provoking writings from a diverse lineup of over 35 writers and thinkers:From the classic—including Confucius, Augustine, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Henry David Thoreau, and Frederick Douglass;To the modern—including W. E. B. DuBois, Flannery O'Connor, T. S. Eliot, and Simone Weil;To the contemporary—including Wendell Berry, David Foster Wallace, and Marilynne Robinson. Together these sages, writers, philosophers, and poets address important issues such as virtue, beauty, community, wonder, suffering, and meaning. Each of these texts are introduced by experts from a variety of Christian colleges and universities to help provide a richer narrative in which Christians can participate. Each text is also accompanied by discussion questions to provoke further thought and contemplation and to facilitate discussion when used in groups. Learning the Good Life is ideal for any Christian seeking a deeper connection to the wisdom of the past and wanting a more cohesive vision of the good life. Though not all these writers were themselves Christians, they all have a message for you. All of them are calling you to die to yourself, to your habits of indulgence, to your pride and ambition—and to dedicate your time to learning, thinking, and loving.

Jacob Stratman's first collection of poems, What I Have I Offer with Two Hands, offers poems where the typically mundane and forgettable become windows to the divine. Whether the speaker of these poems is transfixed by Joseph Decker's Basket of Peaches, the hills and creeks of the Ozarks, the Eucharist, his son's Batman toys in the tub, or his own childhood, the focus never leaves his relationship with his sons and their relationship with God and the created world--what he hopes for them and what he hopes for all of us. With a loose connection to the liturgical calendar, readers will follow this father's meandering path through the year as he contemplates how to love, how to hope.

Jacob Stratman's first collection of poems, What I Have I Offer with Two Hands, offers poems where the typically mundane and forgettable become windows to the divine. Whether the speaker of these poems is transfixed by Joseph Decker's Basket of Peaches, the hills and creeks of the Ozarks, the Eucharist, his son's Batman toys in the tub, or his own childhood, the focus never leaves his relationship with his sons and their relationship with God and the created world--what he hopes for them and what he hopes for all of us. With a loose connection to the liturgical calendar, readers will follow this father's meandering path through the year as he contemplates how to love, how to hope.

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