Luci Shaw
Encyclopedia
Luci Shaw is a prominent poet
, well-known especially within Catholic
and Protestant Christian contexts. She has published ten volumes of poetry (several still in print) and numerous non-fiction
books, and has edited and collaborated on multiple other works, including several with Madeleine L'Engle
. Her poems are widely anthologized
. Shaw usually works in free verse
, and typically her poems are quite short, less than a page. Nevertheless, in tone and content, she affiliates most readily with the transcendental
poets, often finding in natural details and themes the touch of the eternal or other-worldly. (See Poetry of the United States
: Postcolonial Poetry)
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, well-known especially within Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
and Protestant Christian contexts. She has published ten volumes of poetry (several still in print) and numerous non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
books, and has edited and collaborated on multiple other works, including several with Madeleine L'Engle
Madeleine L'Engle
Madeleine L'Engle was an American writer best known for her young-adult fiction, particularly the Newbery Medal-winning A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time...
. Her poems are widely anthologized
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
. Shaw usually works in free verse
Free verse
Free verse is a form of poetry that refrains from consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern.Poets have explained that free verse, despite its freedom, is not free. Free Verse displays some elements of form...
, and typically her poems are quite short, less than a page. Nevertheless, in tone and content, she affiliates most readily with the transcendental
Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the 1830s and 1840s in the New England region of the United States as a protest against the general state of culture and society, and in particular, the state of intellectualism at Harvard University and the doctrine of the Unitarian...
poets, often finding in natural details and themes the touch of the eternal or other-worldly. (See Poetry of the United States
Poetry of the United States
American poetry, the poetry of the United States, arose first as efforts by colonists to add their voices to English poetry in the 17th century, well before the constitutional unification of the thirteen colonies...
: Postcolonial Poetry)
Use in music
A number of Shaw's works have been set to music, by a variety of composers:- Alan Cline used "God in the Dark" as the basis for a cantataCantataA cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
. - Knut NystedtKnut NystedtKnut Nystedt is an orchestral and choral composer.Nystedt was born in Kristiania , Norway, and grew up in a Christian home where hymns and classical music were an important part of everyday life. His major compositions for choir and vocal soloists are mainly based on texts from the Bible or sacred...
(NorwegianNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
composer) did a setting for "Mary's Song," sung and recorded by the Elektra Choir of Vancouver, Canada. Album title: Child of Grace. - Alice ParkerAlice ParkerAlice Parker is an American composer, arranger and conductor. Many of her arrangements were done in cooperation with Robert Shaw....
set three of Shaw's poems for a song cycle. - Frederick Frahm composed settings for soloSolo (music)In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
and choirChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
for three of Shaw's poems, "Star Song," "Down He Came From Up," and "Heart Stable." - Ed Henderson (CanadianCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) composed a choral setting for "Star Song." - Roland Fudge (EnglishEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) composed a choral setting for "One," "Celestial Light," and "Steadfast Taper."