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.

Lightness and Soul

Reviews of J.S. Porter's latest book.

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Now Available!

"John Porter is a reader, originally by inheritance, now by long-established habit. His father read poetry, theology, biography and philosophy 'in that descending order of significance.' For 'Dad and me, the book, in Ezra Pound's ... phrasing was 'a ball of light.'' ... 'Reading is what I do,' Porter's manifesto-like statement goes. 'Reader is who I am. I write books on my readings, books on other people's books, and construct sentences from other people's sentences.' Reading, like eating, satisfies a hunger."

David Cohen, Hamilton Arts & Letters, Fall/Winter 2011.

 

In Lightness and Soul: Musings on Eight Jewish Writers, poet and essayist J. S. Porter explores and reflects upon the writing of authors who demonstrate how reading - and by extension, the Book - fosters critical thinking and fires the imagination.

"I wanted to bring together some of the writers I've reflected on over the last ten years. I'd like readers to join me in celebrating these selected Jewish authors who, despite their many differences, are united in their passion for reading and writing."

From the enduring charisma of Leonard Cohen to John Berger's attentive response to conscience, from the austere minimalism of Robert Lax to the stormy poetics of Muriel Rukeyser, the authors discussed herein offer a collage of literary giants, a range of styles, and a blend of lightness and soul.

p.s. Susan Sontag, Simone Weil, Alberto Manguel and Harold Bloom also have a strong presence in the book.

Lightness is available from Amazon.ca, Seraphim Editions and independent bookstores.

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Now Available!

The Glass Art of Sarah Hall presents 27 beautifully illustrated art glass installations. Hall's work ranges from a solar tower in Vancouver to leaf patterns in an Arizona sanctuary, from whimsical prismatic glass in a children's centre to abstract designs at the Embassy of Kuwait and the jewelled splendour of the 'Wisdom Windows' at Massey College in Toronto. Her work combines joy with serenity and experiment with reverence. The book captures one of North America's finest glass artists at the peak of her technical innovation and artistic creativity. The text draws on biography, poetry, philosophy and art history in a style at once meditative and conversational.

112 pages
ISBN: 9780986870408
Published by Glasmalerei Peters GmbH, Germany, available from Amazon.ca.

"The Glass Art of Sarah Hall gives ample evidence, with its selection of lush photography and accompanying essay by the lyrical and perceptive Porter, of the noble genesis of her art in a tradition that includes the rich, deep colours of Notre Dame's windows in Paris and the austere, almost monochromatic, Cistercian windows of York Minster in England - the dance of light in Matisse's windows in the chapel at Vence and the dignified weight of Rouault's glasswork."

--Michael Higgins, St. John Telegraph

"Leafing through this volume, I found myself thinking back again and again to a line from Porter's catalogue essay: 'She makes visible the usually invisible thrust of life.' Sarah Hall does exactly that, celebrating in new glass the old symbols by which we know God, life and each other."

--John Bentley Mays, Catholic Register

"The wrap-around cover of Sarah Hall's book enfolds 100 pages of brilliant colour, the play of art on glass, the beauty of that combination and its overflow on what surrounds it. The rich variety of her palette is well captured through photographs - stunning and serene, robust and calming - indicative of Sarah's all-embracing outreach, in turn meditative and playful, uplifting and contemplative. How many shades of blue there are, how many shades of gold: airbrushed and hand painted, screen printed and sandblasted, solar cells and laminated glass. J.S.Porter's poetic writing catches well the imagery he obviously enjoys."

--Pat Fitzpatrick

Thomas Merton

Also 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 the 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.

Click here to read the latest reviews of Hermit at the Heart of Things.

This website is about an author and his books.

For J.S. Porter's online essays, check out Hamilton Arts and Letters

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.