Spirit

Under spirit, you will read J.S. Porter's writings on spirituality, including a number of articles on Thomas Merton, some of which have appeared in Brick, The Antigonish Review and The Merton Seasonal.

Book

Under book, you will find J.S. Porter's literary criticism, as it has appeared in such publications as the Literary Review of Canada, The Hamilton Spectator, The Ottawa Citizen, The Globe and Mail and more.

Word

Under word, you can read J.S. Porters poems, and articles about poetry. He is currently working on a number of poems to appear in the Hamilton poetry journal,
Hammered Out.

A Pound of Flesh

J.S. Porter's latest thoughts, updated as often as possible.

Thomas Merton

Now Available!

Thomas Merton: Hermit at the Heart of Things (Novalis), by J.S. Porter

Forty years after his death, Thomas Merton remains one of the most significant spiritual figures of our time. In this series of ten literary portraits, J.S. Porter explores some of the many facets of Merton: the contemplative and activist, the poet, the reader, the translator, the tone setter, the letter writer, the intellectual, the lover, the synthesizer, the journal keeper.

Thomas Merton: Hermit at hte Heart of Things is a major addition to our understanding of Merton. This engaging work will intrigue those versed in Merton lore and fascinate those who are meeting Merton for the first time.

"J.S. Porter is our most generous, elegant essayist. He is also one of our very best critics. Wisdom, perception, humour, wide-reading, passion, quirky intelligence, a love of style -- he has it all."

--B.W. Powe, author of The Solitary Outlaw, Outage,
Towards a Canada of Light and Mystic Trudeau.

CONTENTS

Preface. Body to Body: Thomas Merton & Henri Nouwen

  1. Always a Beginner
  2. Contemplative & Activist
  3. Poet, Reader, Translator
    • Part A: Merton & Alfonso Cortés
    • Part B: Merton & Louis Zukofsky
  4. Tone Meister
  5. Letter Writer
  6. Intellectual
    • Part A: The Columbia University Heritage and Legacy: Merton & Edward Said
    • Part B: Mind at Work: Merton & Eichmann
  7. Lover
  8. Always a Synthesizer: Merton's Old and New Metaphors of the Self
  9. Journal Keeper
  10. Hello, Goodbye, Hello Again

This website is about an author and his books.

For J.S. Porter's online essays, check out The Antigonish Review

For Porter's article in the Literary Review of Canada on Leonard Cohen, click here.

For a review of Gordon Sheppard's HA!, please see his official website, click "Review" and select "Literary Review of Canada 2"

Welcome to the official website of J.S. Porter, poet, critic and teacher. In these electronic pages, you will find a collection of his poems, essays, and thoughts on art and spirituality.

All opinions and points of view on the website belong exclusively to J.S. Porter.