Hannah Coulter | Part 1

“This is my story, my giving of thanks.” —Hannah Coulter (p. 5)Welcome to Hannah Coulter, by Wendell Berry. In this episode, Rhea and Shari discuss the power of Wendell’s work in and for their lives. They talk about his way of seeing every single thing that opens up to us a story that, as Hannah writes in the beginning: weighs upon us, presses against us and fills all our senses to overflowing (paraphrased from p. 5). They discuss the long-view narrative structure (much like Crossing to Safety), memory, and the trinitarian life hidden in plain sight. They talk about Hannah’s beginning that is a continuation of Nathan’s ending, the story that is her story, Nathan’s story, their story together. They talk about the humility of knowing one’s own neediness, the golden threads of love and gratitude, kindness that keeps alive, and her unique way of describing what it is to be “in love.” They talk about the light that shines in darkness and never goes out calling us always back into life (paraphrased from p 57). Of course, they talk about Membership.They do none of this while maintaining dry eyes.Below is our reading schedule:* Chapters 1-7: June 23* Chapters 8-15: June 30* Chapters 16-24: July 7Further Wendell Berry Resources:* The Berry Center* Berry Center Bookstore* Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell BerryThe Wendell Berry poem I (Shari) keep on my desk:IX.The incarnate Word is with us,is still speaking, is presentalways, yet leaves no signbut everything that is. (from: This Day: Collected & New Sabbath Poems)Thanks for listening to this episode of The Reader & the Writer! If you enjoyed this post, please give it some ❤️ and share it with others. The Reader & the Writer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our literary work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Reader & the Writer at thereaderandthewriter.substack.com/subscribe