The Savage Faith of the Secret Heart

SavageHeart

The Savage Faith of the Secret Heart is the title of my newly published collection of essays, and it is the theme of them as well, because although one reader perceptively described the book as my exorcism of the ghosts that haunt me, it is also about the ways in which we survive and transcend.

In words from one story, referring to my grandfather: He told me about outrageous hope that can stare down anything and never blink, hope that is born and reborn in a thousand incarnations. And I knew the secret language then, and I hugged him through his overcoat and time.

That stare-down-anything kind of hope is what I mean by savage faith. And I celebrate it, for we are all in this together, propelled by dreams and folly perhaps, but intermittently reinforced by surprises and miracles.

Regular readers of this blog or my Zacate Canyon website will recognize some of the essays in this collection. A few were also published previously in venues such as The Santa Barbara Independent, Voices in Italian Americana, and the Brown Literary Review, while others are quite new.  I think it’s nice to have them all compiled in an actual book you can hold in your hand, maybe the sort you might even give to a friend.

I write because I am genuinely amazed at all that has unfolded, and I will never get over it, ever. I write because the words keep people I have loved alive on the page, and because writing helps me to look, and look again, and sometimes glean the learning. And I write because I believe there is some distance between you and me that might be bridged when you see the many ways we are alike. I find I am brimming over with wonder and tenderness and hope, and I cannot possibly keep it all to myself.

As I say at one point in the title essay: I only know to marvel now at the savage faith of the secret heart, swelling in its weathered case, refusing to admit that anything has ended.

To find out how to purchase your copy of The Savage Faith of the Secret Heart, ($15 plus shipping) simply follow this link: To Purchase (Never mind. Basically sold out at this point. If you got yours, it's a little like a collector's item now!)

Also, in case you're interested, here’s a review from the Santa Barbara Independent. I’ve been out here for a long time poking around with a little light in hand, trying to make sense of things, and I've bumped up against the bright shore of a most unlikely now. I am grateful to find you here with me.

And now I've pitched my book. Thanks for listening.