Saturday, March 28
9:30 am – 3:30 pm
The Front Porch, Memphis
Ticket $100, box lunch included
What is a poem? What is a prayer? And what, if anything, does one have to do with the other? Join us for Poetry & Prayer, an immersive retreat with Pádraig Ó Tuama & Marie Howe, two of the most compelling voices in contemporary poetry, who share a deep curiosity about language, spirit, and the inner life.
Over the course of this day, we will explore how poetry and prayer invite us to attend to what matters most, engage our inner landscapes, and find words for what often goes unspoken. Through readings, guided reflection, and shared conversation, participants will discover new ways of listening and responding to the world around and within us.
Reserve your spot for a day of insight, reflection, and inspiration.
Poet and theologian Pádraig Ó Tuama is an internationally respected voice on language, power, conflict, and religion. A compelling speaker and teacher, he hosts Poetry Unbound with On Being Studios and previously served as leader of the Corrymeela Community, Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation organization. Ó Tuama holds advanced degrees in theology, conflict mediation, and a PhD in Poetry and Theology from the University of Glasgow. From 2024 to 2028, he will be a visiting scholar at Columbia University’s Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution. His work invites deep listening and courageous conversation, naming poetry as a language through which the heart seeks understanding.
Marie Howe is the author of five celebrated volumes of poetry, including New and Selected Poems (2024), which won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. Her work—praised for its luminous attention to love, loss, faith, and the sacred in ordinary life—has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Poetry. A former New York State Poet Laureate, Howe is the recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the NEA, and the Academy of American Poets. Her poetry transforms grief into revelation, offering readers language marked by intimacy, grace, and profound human insight. She teaches at Sarah Lawrence College and NYU.
