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Luci Shaw
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Breath for the Bones: Art, Imagination and Spirit: A Reflection of Creativity and Faith Kindle Edition

by Luci Shaw (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 41 ratings
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“The double question we must always ask is,‘How does faith inform art?’ and ‘How can art animate faith?’”

Imagination, appreciation of beauty, creativity: all of these qualities have been given to us by God. For the Christian artist, the drive to create something wonderful is also a means to glorify and better understand our Lord. Using excerpts from her own works as well as those of writers who have gone before her—Emily Dickinson, Annie Dillard, C.S. Lewis, and others—poet and writer Luci Shaw proves that symbolism and metaphor provide ways for humans to experience God in new and powerful ways.

Shaw offers a rich and thought-provoking exploration of art, creativity, and faith. Believing that art emanates from God, she shows how imagination and spirituality “work in tandem, each feeding on and nourishing the other.” Faith informs art and art enhances faith. They both, for each other, are “breath for the bones.”

Provocative, enlightening, and above all, inspiring, Breath for the Bones will help readers discover the artist within, and bring them further along the path to God Himself.

Include s Discussion Questions and Writing Exercises

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  1. Print length
    197 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Thomas Nelson
  5. Publication date
    August 31, 2009
  6. File size
    1546 KB
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00AQ0ARAC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas Nelson (August 31, 2009)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 31, 2009
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1546 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 197 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 41 ratings

About the author

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Luci Shaw

Luci Shaw

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Luci Shaw is a poet, essayist, teacher and retreat leader. Born in England in 1928, she has lived in Australia and Canada and (since 1950) in the United States.

She is the author of a number of nonfiction books, including God in the Dark and Water My Soul. Her first book of poetry, Listen to the Green, was publishd in 1971. It was followed by several others, including Polishing the Petoskey Stone, Writing the River, The Angles of Light and, most recently, Accompanied by Angels (published by Eerdmans in July 2006),What the Light Was Like (published by WordFarm in Setpember 2006, Breath for the Bones (published by Thomas Nelson in 2007)and Harvesting Fog (published by Pinyon Press in 2010).

Her poems have appeared in publications such as Books & Culture, The Christian Century, Crux, Image, Radix, Rock & Sling, Relief, Ruminate, The Southern Review, Nimble Spirit and Weavings. Musical settings for several of her poems have been composed by Knut Nystedt, Alice Parker, Frederick Frahm, Roland Fudge and Allen Cline. Many of her poems have also been anthologized.

Currently, Shaw serves as Writer in Residence at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, while based in Bellingham, Washington, with her husband, John Hoyte. She is on the board of trustees of Image, a journal of art, faith and mystery. She also travels widely to speak and teach on topics such as poetry, journaling and the Christian imagination. Her website (www.lucishaw.com) reflects some of her many other interests--wilderness camping, sailing, gardening and nature photography.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
41 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ellen G. Olinger
5.0 out of 5 stars BREATH FOR THE BONES
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2009
Verified Purchase
[...]

Breath for the Bones is a red hardcover with a yellow book jacket that evokes marbled paper. At the beginning, the "Note to Readers" states: "This book is the compilation of many poignant words found in Luci Shaw's writings, lecture notes, workshops, journals, interviews, essays, and poems. Any gaps and spaces throughout the text reflect the quilting together of these materials to form a meaningful sequence of concepts with a thought-provoking readability" (p. vii). As a 20 year reader of Shaw's poetry and prose, I am grateful to have so many of her reflections on faith and art in one place.

The Introduction begins with Ecclesiastes 11:5 (NRSV): "Just as you do not know how the breath comes to the bones in the mother's womb, so you do not know the work of God, who makes everything" (p. ix). As Shaw explains, faith and art are "breath for the bones to each other" (p. x). This is the book's major theme, and it is developed in many ways. Intellectual, emotional, and spiritual aspects of being a writer who is a Christian are all addressed. Some days I read this book and find an encouraging conversation with a trusted author; other days it brings me into a writer's workshop and challenges me to work harder on craft. I have also been blessed with new insights into the construction of poems that have helped me through difficult times--one of the rewards of rereading.

This book has two major parts. Part One is "The Basics of Creativity: Foundations of the Creative Process." Examples of its titles include "Entering into Beauty" and "Meeting the God of Metaphor." Part Two is "The Details of Creativity: Exploring the Creative Process." There are also six chapters in this section, with titles including "Understanding the Shadow Side of Creativity" and "Tracing the Creative Process of Poets and Poems." Appendix A then offers writing assignments and discussion questions. Appendix B is a recommended reading list for further study and enjoyment.

Breath for the Bones concludes with a long list of Acknowledgments and Notes. Among others, Luci Shaw honors Lil Copan "...for her gift--many weeks of her own time unraveling into a coherent whole the tangled mess of essays, lectures, poems, and journal notes that I had thrust upon her. With skill and efficiency she sorted and reordered materials of mine in a task that had seemed impossible to me, too close as I was to my own writing" (p. 202). This expression of gratitude pictures perfectly the rich and generous nature of the entire book. It is indeed a beautiful quilt. (Reprinted with permission from Time of Singing; Fall, 2008. This poetry print journal, edited by Lora H. Zill, also has a website.)

I often visit Luci Shaw's Official Website for updates.

Ellen G. Olinger, Ed.D
12 people found this helpful
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S. Mullinax
5.0 out of 5 stars Always a superb read
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2012
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Lucy Shaw's Breath for the Bones is a wonderful book that is full of wisdom about the creative act of writing, painting, music, and drama. Regardless of your artistic genre, you should read this one. She is down to earth about her struggles and growth as a poet and person. I have always loved her poetry, and the book has some of her poems in it, but it also has quotes from her favorite writers. She talks about using concrete images to widen the circles of meaning in a poem, and the appendix has suggestions for discovering your own images and learning to explore them. The footnotes at the end are an excellent reference to great writers and their titles. It will inspire you and give you practical advice at the same time.
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Jared S. Runck
4.0 out of 5 stars The Prophetic Power of Christian Art
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2019
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I began reading this lovely little book whilst working on a theological paper/presentation related to a series of Marc Chagall’s portraits of the prophet Jeremiah. The source of the paper was my intrigue at the idea of exploring Chagall’s art as a kind of “visual exegesis” of the book of Jeremiah…something much less than a feeling of “artistic inspiration,” I dare say.

However, as I began to develop that project, I became involved (as is wont to happen) in the much larger question of understanding the nature and role of art within the broader human experience, especially the experience of faith. And in my search for sources to begin that exploration, I literally stumbled upon the Kindle version of this work (now a decade old).

Shaw’s book presents a very personal statement of her approach both to her faith and to her poetry and, for Shaw, the source of both is inseparable. She very generously sprinkles the book with examples of her own work as illustrations of her key points, and I believe in each case she has chosen well, giving the reader some of the finest examples of her work.

Again, I accessed this work while in a theological frame of mind, so one of the most important contributions that Shaw’s work made to my own thinking was her careful articulation of how what we know as the “artistic” mind in contemporary culture holds much in common in its approach to the world’s reality with what the ancient world would have known as the “prophetic” mind. In poetry, as in prophecy—at least, among the best poets and the true prophets—there’s a particular kind of “seeing beyond” or “seeing through” concrete realities to that which lies beneath or behind. Late in the book, she offers the following image of a poem as an exposition of the lower right corner of a vast canvas that somehow still manages to give the reader a sense of the “big picture.” I would have to say that Shaw is precisely right on this point.

Which creates, then, a very compelling case that the best art, at its core, has something very “theological” about it. And, in a postmodern world, where “meaning” can no longer be found in words, perhaps the Church should reconsider the potent evangelical power of art to proclaim that which cannot be said. Though Shaw doesn’t really address the challenge of postmodernity here, her work I think lays an important foundation for addressing it.
Though the book presents itself as a meditation on the creative process common to all artists, it is, in the end, a book about writing. For example, Shaw includes a significant section promoting the value of journaling for developing one’s craft. That is fine advice if you are a writer, but would not work so well for, say, photographers or sculptors. And yet perhaps there is wisdom here to glean for even the visual arts.

I’ve no doubt that Shaw’s work will long be considered a “leading light” in a much-needed body of literature that reflects on the relationship of Christian faith/theology to the arts. Too long we’ve been held in thrall by the Protestant iconoclastic dominance of the Word above all else, forgetting as Shaw here so rightly notes, that the Word of God was usually “seen” before it was “written.” (One of the key terms the Old Testament prophets use to describe their reception of a divine oracle is “vision.”) Shaw can help us to recover those forgotten (and powerful!) elements.
6 people found this helpful
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Lu Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2021
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What a beautiful book; collections from the amazing writer Luci Shaw. A great read, and so inspiring for writers and artists.
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Michelle G Haynes
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for any creative.
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2011
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Luci Shaw's book is a must read for any creative who longs to integrate their artistic craft with their walk of faith. Her writing is so refreshingly personal and can be transferrable between all the artistic disciplines. I was so enamored by her writing, that I read the whole book in one week (something very unusual for me). I highly recommend this book to any artistic type. It will encourage you with new freedom to do what you were created to do.
7 people found this helpful
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Christine
5.0 out of 5 stars Art and the Christian--a standout book
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2018
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One of my favorite books on understanding art as a Christian. It's similar to L'Engle's _Walking on Water_ in tone, but not a repeat in content or style. I highly recommend this book for thoughtful artists. Shaw's writing is simply beautiful.
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Tamara
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspired to reflect outside the lines!
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2013
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Luci Shaw causes me to think outside the lines, Her reflections on life are inspiring and cause me to look for the beauty that is all around me.
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