Irina Ratushinskaya was an inspiration. I've mentioned her here before, having had a fluke encounter in a bookshop. She proved remarkably resilient in the most appalling circumstances, a Soviet labour camp. Her crime? Poetry. It's terrifying that some today might…
I can't quite believe it but I first met Dani Oprean 12 years ago now, during my first visit to Romania. We had little idea how the seeds sown during that consultation would germinate - but now the Langham work…
Inevitably, this series' lists are very personal and limited. It's primarily a way of honouring those who have had an impact on me, but they're certainly not exhaustive lists. What's more, I've primarily focused on African, rather than African American,…
The urge to return to Uncle George was irresistible. He is so lucid but honest; so lightly humourous, but theologically weighty. I actually filmed this a fortnight ago, but have had various things to juggle so not got round to…
I'm starting a new occasional blog series with this post, which was stimulated by something I recently read in Daniel Hill's challenging book White Awake: An Honest Look At What It Means to be White. Hill describes an important conversation with an…
I was genuinely saddened by the news of Clive James' death last year. He always struck me as such a fascinating and fascinated man, humane and honest but never saccharine or sentimental. And the more one learns about him, the…
It was simply impossible to keep on the usual trajectory of readings with the horrors on the news. Forget the virus. Forget the Brexit car crash. Forget government incompetence. None of which appear to abate. This is yet ANOTHER atrocity…
Sacred Treasure George Floyd left a Gospel legacy in Houston: tragedy piles on tragedy, but this is just one tiny glimmer of light.Having God in a squad is no longer mocked: Matt Dickinson in the Times (£) on Football and…
Back to some poetry now. I first came across a poem by Micheal O'Siadhail in a lecture when I was at seminary. But I can't now remember what the lecture was about, I can't remember the poem, and I didn't…
There is so much good stuff in Eco's collection that I couldn't resist another outing after the last one (click the link for all the relevant info). Apologies if you're keen to get back to the verse. That will come…
I meant to post a fortnight ago, but it kept slipping my mind. Ironic really because this project completely commandeered my headspace for 10 whole days - which was literally the total time from commissioning to final submission. I was…
We can't travel because of the virus. But one day we will... hopefully! So it's worth gearing ourselves up with practical tips and advice. But you might be surprised, at first sight, that we turn now to the great Italian…