This week, I explored the relationship between storytelling and spirituality in print and online, and on this Great Stuff for Writers Friday, I offer four wonderful resources.
The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning. (Bantam) This simple, profound book by Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham gets at a fundamental truth: Being human means stumbling, erring, and failing to live up to our own expectations. Truly becoming ourselves means understanding our limitations and embracing our flaws. “Spirituality teaches us . . . how to deal with failure,” write Kurtz and Ketcham. It “begins with the acceptance that our fractured being, our imperfection, simply is.”
Unlike writers of the ever-popular self-help genre, these authors do not present psychological advice, anecdotes from case files, or cheerful lists of steps you can take to be a better you. Instead, they present stories—wisdom tales from Buddhist, Christian, Judaic, Greek and other traditions. They address the individual’s struggle to be perfect—perfectly disciplined, perfectly spiritual, perfectly successful—and the pain we experience when we fail. Then they move on to what spirituality has to offer us flawed and struggling travelers. In the end, their collection of sacred tales weaves together a tapestry of hope and inspiration.
The Soul Tells a Story: Engaging Creativity with Spirituality in the Writing Life. (IVP Books) Paperback]. Vinita Hampton Wright, the author of four novels, including Dwelling Places and Winter Seeking, and several works of nonfiction, takes a Christian perspective in her approach to creativity and the writing life. But her book is so generous, frank, and wise that it can bring inspiration and encouragement even to nonChristians like me. Wright is honest enough to dispel common misconceptions about creativity—like the idea that it is a rare gift given to only a select few—and to address the relationship of creativity to depression. She also offers writing exercises throughout the book. One of the things I like about The Soul Tells a Story is the fact that, along with rather elevated discussions about writing and spirituality, Wright takes the time also to address everyday issues, like the difficult economics of living the writing life.
Thoughts on Fantasy, Storytelling, and Spirituality. I will be frank about this blog: It is far from the best writing you’ll find on the web. Nonetheless, Brian Rush’s take on the relationship between spirit and storytelling is worth taking a look at, and his basic premise—that fantasy writing grows out of the mythic tradition and is fundamentally spiritual—is one I embrace wholeheartedly.
Zen and the Art of Spiritual Storytelling. Rafe Martin is a writer, performer, and storyteller par excellence, and here you can hear him talk about storytelling and spirituality in depth. “Stories in words are among our oldest, most powerful, most mysterious tools,” he says. “They give us what no other technology can—ourselves.” Check out this interview with Martin on the Storytelling and Spirituality website.