One of the early pieces of education I received as a writer is that one must first be a reader. If I’m writing creative nonfiction, I need to read other work in that genre. If I’m writing poetry, I need to read other poets. That would go for writing devotionals too. I need to have some understanding of the text to respond with my own piece.

Somewhere along the way I was introduced to the poet Luci Shaw among other excellent poets, and I have appreciated her work immensely.

In August 2025, I wrote to Luci Shaw and shared how her poetry inspired me to keep writing poetry and to keep reading it. She wrote widely about the natural world and about faith-related questions.

To my delight she wrote back, by email, the next day.

How nice of you to contact me. I’m very glad my poetry has found a place in your life. This gives me pleasure!

Warmly,

Luci

May you continue to value poetry!

Luci was featured in a conversation with Ben Palpant in 2024. The conversation is featured in  An Axe For the Frozen Sea, a collection of interviews with poets.

From her obituary:

Luci died on December 1, 2025, in Bellingham, Washington, at age ninety-six. She remained funny, attentive, and hospitable even in her last days. …A prolific and highly-regarded poet, Luci published eighteen collections of poetry and co-authored and edited nineteen volumes of non-fiction.

Luci’s poetry remains a source of inspiration for me.

Maybe you’re not a poet (but you read Psalms). And it could be that some books of the Bible don’t hold your attention, but you’re rivetted to certain stories when they’re read in worship. Maybe you don’t plan to be a writer, but you can still read (or listen to) a book, including the Bible. Luci did because many of her poems have a spiritual component to them, including poems about the natural world. Here’s a tiny taste of her words from her poem God’s Act in Acts:

And I remember the ancient story–
about a sacred wind that carried Your 
hot breath.

Perhaps now you’ll read Acts chapter 2 with a new understanding.