The silence became
an emptiness,
a steadiness,
a solitude,
a sacred pause,
and a container of nothingness
I could bathe in.— Cassidy Hall
My friend and colleague Cassidy Hall (who co-hosts the podcast “Encountering Silence” with me and Kevin Johnson) has a new book coming out. I’ve read it, endorsed it, and am sufficiently excited about it that I wanted to spread the word a bit in advance.
It’s called Queering Contemplation: Finding Queerness in the Roots and Future of Contemplative Spirituality. As the title implies, it’s a journey into queerness and contemplative spirituality in the light of each other. Cassidy writes out of her experience not only as a queer person but also as a contemplative practitioner who spent 6 months visiting all the Trappist monasteries in the USA and serving as the secretary of the International Thomas Merton Society. She also co-produced the documentary In Pursuit of Silence in addition to co-hosting the Encountering Silence Podcast. She now has her own podcast, Queering Contemplation, through the Christian Century. She is recently ordained a minister in the United Church of Christ and is an inspiring example of somebody who seamlessly integrates contemplation and activism in her own spirituality and ministry.
This book is a wonderful overview of contemplative spirituality through a queer lens, covering topics such as silence, monasticism, ritual/liturgy, desert spirituality, true/false self and more. Naturally this book is a gift to the LGBTQ+ community, loved ones and allies, but I think it has a lot to say to all contemplatives, even if you don’t identify as queer or LGBTQ yourself. It’s a book I would gladly recommend to anyone who wants a distinctive and visionary exploration of contemplation for our time.
The book is being published by Broadleaf Books (yes, they’re also my publisher) and it’s coming out in May. But you can pre-order your copy now from Amazon (and pre-orders really help with a book’s launch, so if you think you’d like a copy, go ahead and get that pre-order set up; the more pre-orders, the more the book will get a push from both the publisher and retailers when it is released.
Here’s the link to the book’s page on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3TxIAgp
Here’s my official endorsement for the book:
Queering Contemplation is a beautiful and eloquent book, showcasing her articulate and deeply honest voice and vital message. She breaks new ground in making necessary and insightful connections between contemplation, sacred activism, and queerness. This book expanded my understanding of what it means to be contemplative, and to be queer. It’s a book I’ll return to again and again, and will enthusiastically recommend to others.
Others who have endorsed Queering Contemplation include Cole Arthur Riley, Carmen Acevedo Butchers, Barbara A. Holmes, Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, and Mason Mennenga.
