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The Secrets to Reading Poetry

The Secrets to Reading Poetry

Unlocking the Language of God

by Sally Read

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Regular price $24.95 USD
Regular price $24.95 USD Sale price $24.95 USD
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Poetry’s role in human language is indispensable to anyone who knows that the world is made up of more than what we can see in the here and now. Written mainly as a guide for poetry novices, though it will also please devotees, Sally Read’s The Secrets to Reading Poetry begins with the simple basics of how to read poems: how to appreciate their rhythm, imagery, metaphors, and music. Read goes on to explain some of the most crucial, and least discussed, secrets of poetry in a way that will unlock the form for the most wary of readers.

As poet in residence of the Hermitage of the Three Holy Hierarchs, Read also draws on parallels between the pursuit of poetry and the spiritual journey. Through a close reading of eighteen luminous poems, she explores the search for consolation in poetry, the trust needed from us as we step into a poem, and the necessary surrender to what we can’t fully explain. By journey’s end, readers will have a better feel for what it means to respond to words with our hearts and souls as much as with our minds.

Details

Publisher: Word on Fire Luminor
ISBN: 978-1-68578-345-7
Binding: Paperback
Page count: 240
Dimensions: 6 x 9 (in)
Thickness: 0.74 (in)
Made in: United States
Language: English
Release date: Nov 02, 2026

About the Author

Sally Read

Sally Read is an award-winning poet whose first collection since her conversion from atheism to Catholicism, Dawn of this Hunger, was the fruit of her ten-year tenure as poet in residence at the Hermitage of the Three Holy Hierarchs. Sally’s poetry has been recorded for the UK’s Poetry Archive, and her writing, in both poetry and prose, has appeared in numerous publications and anthologies, including The Times Literary Supplement, The Picador Book of Love Poems, and Forward’s Poems of the Decade. Her poetry has also been featured on BBC Radio, and episodes of her Radio Maria England show, “Poetry for the Season,” are available on Spotify.

Since her conversion, Sally has written lyrics for the sacred music of Paul Flynn, and their songs have been performed by The Palestrina and Trinity College Chapel Choirs in Dublin. Sally has also written two books of nonfiction, Night's Bright Darkness and Annunciation: A Call to Faith in a Broken World, the latter of which was the subject of a short film by Norman Servais for EWTN Great Britain. Sally’s work has been translated in five languages. Her literary memoir, The Mary Pages, is newly released from Word on Fire.

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About the Author

Sally Read is an award-winning poet whose first collection since her conversion from atheism to Catholicism, Dawn of this Hunger, was the fruit of her ten-year tenure as poet in residence at the Hermitage of the Three Holy Hierarchs. Sally’s poetry has been recorded for the UK’s Poetry Archive, and her writing, in both poetry and prose, has appeared in numerous publications and anthologies, including The Times Literary Supplement, The Picador Book of Love Poems, and Forward’s Poems of the Decade. Her poetry has also been featured on BBC Radio, and episodes of her Radio Maria England show, “Poetry for the Season,” are available on Spotify.

Since her conversion, Sally has written lyrics for the sacred music of Paul Flynn, and their songs have been performed by The Palestrina and Trinity College Chapel Choirs in Dublin. Sally has also written two books of nonfiction, Night's Bright Darkness and Annunciation: A Call to Faith in a Broken World, the latter of which was the subject of a short film by Norman Servais for EWTN Great Britain. Sally’s work has been translated in five languages. Her literary memoir, The Mary Pages, is newly released from Word on Fire.