Elements of Faithful Writing, by Jean Janzen
2004. 49 pp. ISBN: 978-1889239033
Delivered as the Menno Simons lectures at Bethel College in 2003, Jean Janzen's presentations build on the themes of Mud, Water, Fire, Air, and Text, and explore the intersection of nature and mystery. The result is an evocative tapestry of images, textures, words and sounds, woven from elements both historical and contemporary.
"In Elements of Faithful Writing, Janzen seems most at home in the 'mud' - the combination of earth and water that makes the artist’s clay. This is only appropriate for a poet whose most beloved subjects are the body and place. She spends less time on fire and air, returning to earth and a palpable image of text as stone in her final chapter. Here she alludes to a fascination with theology and catechism that has visited her most recent poetic work."
- Ann Hostetler in the Mennonite Quarterly Review