Lent Reading Group: The Word in the Wilderness by Malcolm Guite

About the Book

For every day from Shrove Tuesday to Easter Day, the bestselling poet Malcolm Guite chooses a favorite poem from across the Christian spiritual and English literary traditions and offers incisive seasonal reflections on it.

Lent is a time to reorient ourselves, clarify our minds, slow down, recover from distraction and focus on the values of God’s kingdom. Poetry, with its power to awaken the mind, is an ideal companion for such a time. This collection enables us to turn aside from everyday routine and experience moments of transfigured vision as we journey through the desert landscape of Lent and find refreshment along the way.

Following each poem with a helpful prose reflection, Malcolm Guite has selected from classical and contemporary poets, from Dante, John Donne and George Herbert to Seamus Heaney, Rowan Williams and Gillian Clarke, and his own acclaimed poetry.

About the Group

This Lent, we invite you to join the Rabbit Room for a season of reflective reading together with our favorite pipe-smoking hobbit-poet. Because of the international time difference and Malcolm’s schedule, we won’t be having a regular, live group Zoom chat; however, each week participants will have the opportunity to submit questions for Malcolm, which he’ll answer in recorded interviews every Thursday with discussion leader Jennifer Trafton. Jennifer will also be hosting an ongoing conversation about the book in the online forum.

You are welcome to join at any time, even after the Lent season has ended. The interviews with Malcolm will be archived, and the online forum will be open indefinitely for new registrants to continue reading and discussing the book.

The Word in the Wilderness is available in the Rabbit Room Store. Use the discount code GUITE15 to get 15% off until April 2.

Course Instructors

Malcolm Guite Author

Malcolm Guite is the Chaplain of Girton College, Cambridge and author of various books on contemporary spirituality. In addition to this, he is a poet and singer-songwriter and fronts the Cambridge-based band Mystery Train. Visit www.malcolmguite.com where you can read Malcolm’s blog, some of his poetry, or find out more about his music and media appearances.

Jennifer Trafton Discussion Leader

Jennifer Trafton served as the managing editor of Christian History magazine before returning to her first love, children’s literature. She is the author of two middle-grade novels, The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic and Henry and the Chalk Dragon .


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