Glimpse of the holy: Notes on three spiritual writers
![tree with roots](/sites/default/files/styles/article_page_vertical/public/images/detail/tree_roots_cropped.jpg?itok=plwKo1Ek)
One of my pet peeves is the general addiction to the new book. It seems sometimes that we consider living writers only when they have emitted a fresh tome. This is understandable, I suppose, since a new book provides the natural impetus to look at previous work; but it’s also unfortunate, as between new books we let terrific writers fade away.
A second peeve—I am motley with peeve this morning—is the pigeonholing of writers. I understand the urge to categorize, to use shorthand, to choose a shelf on which to file a book; I get it that often a label does actually hint at the essence of a writer’s work and concerns; and I much enjoy finding my own books filed under a hilarious plethora of labels, from Parenting Skills (as if) to Men’s Studies (of which I know nothing).
I particularly bemoan the label Nature Writers inflicted on some authors, when to me and to many other awed and moved readers they are writers of immense spiritual power and verve.