What do you think?
Rate this book
Theologies of Terrain
Part of The Laureate Series, this is a collection of poetry by Tim Conroy.
Tim Conroy is a theologian of the best kind, a theologian of the ordinary. He knows, as we learn from the rough father in the first poem, that there are no assurances in this life—and there probably isn’t another. We face crushing loss and daily difficulties. We have to learn to live the best we can here, now.
Tim Conroy is a theologian of the best kind, a theologian of the ordinary. He knows, as we learn from the rough father in the first poem, that there are no assurances in this life—and there probably isn’t another. We face crushing loss and daily difficulties. We have to learn to live the best we can here, now.
100 pages, Paperback
Published September 29, 2017
2 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 28, 2017
I’ll get the obvious out of the way by remarking upon how difficult it must be to have a brother of the influence and stature of the novelist, Pat Conroy. The expectations must be weighty, and the bravery it takes to step forth into the light risky. Yet here shines poet Tim Conroy, introspective and singular, a witness to so much with the gift of deep introspection. This is what I love about this gem of a book: We all walk around grasping to summarize what we’re feeling, yet only the rarest of us can call it by name. Poets do it for us, and in Theologies of Terrain, Conroy takes a fleeting moment and turns it into story, considers the idea of self-identity and turns it into thoughts of the bigger question. The poems are personal, confident in their subtlety, insightful in their musings. There is nothing heavy-handed in these poems, which to me is the real gift, for every poem in this collection opens a door and invites the reader in to reflect upon their own life. During my second time through these poems, quite ridiculously, I searched for my favorite. No True Route had it for a minute, until Ring of Fire brought me to my knees then I realized that each of the poems in Theologies of Terrain works synergistically to lay bare the soul of poet Tim Conroy as a man of significant parts and means. I applaud Tim Conroy for gifting us with this beautiful assembly of words and look forward to his next collection.
June 2, 2019
I do not read poetry. I struggle with understanding such a concise use of language as expressed by the poet! I purchased Tim Conroy's Theologies of Terrain as a show of support for an author who has offered his support for my efforts at writing in Two Minus One: A Memoir. That said, I was pleasantly surprised and amazed by the depth of emotion in his poems and the impact they each had upon me!
Each of his poems describes a person or situation we know, we have experienced, or we are grateful for avoiding. Each is profound, and each will touch your heart-as they each touched mine! Whether you fancy yourself a lover of poetry-and especially if you do not-you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of Conroy's book and let the words and the meaning flow over you like the incoming tide of the ocean at your favorite beach!
Each of his poems describes a person or situation we know, we have experienced, or we are grateful for avoiding. Each is profound, and each will touch your heart-as they each touched mine! Whether you fancy yourself a lover of poetry-and especially if you do not-you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of Conroy's book and let the words and the meaning flow over you like the incoming tide of the ocean at your favorite beach!
June 29, 2019
Emerging from the shadows of a famous brother, poet Tim Conroy has found his own voice in the world of writing and publishing. In his deeply reflective debut collection, Theologies of Terrain (The Laureate Series, Muddy Ford Press), Conroy invites readers to step out of lofty places of worship and find those sacred moments in nature and daily living.
He had me at the opening line in the first poem, “Assurances”:
“It comes to this:
Will we be all right?”
In language that is rich and vibrant, Tim Conroy writes with emotional impact about people and places, memories and landscapes, love and loss. With curiosity and longing that still clings to hope, he led me to places I’ve visited in my own life with the tragic loss of a baby brother who was just becoming a man. In “Two Little Joes,” Tim recalls boyhood days sleeping in the same bed with his brother Tommy, playing a game of cowboys and Indians as their mother shuffles by rousing them to get ready for school. I could hear their boyish giggles and for a few seconds, I was plunged back to my own childhood growing up in a large family with three brothers and two sisters. It’s a poem I’ll return to again and again.
In “Blessed,” the poet takes on prosperity preachers and their ilk, along with their followers. With each line and verse, I found myself highlighting phrases like “a pocketbook of judgement” and “Thank God, it is not me,” when it comes to praying for the poor. With each stroke of my highlighter, I was reminded of evangelicals praying for each other yet turning their backs on children at the southern border who are fleeing for their lives.
In a couple of poems, Tim reflects on growing up in a military family immortalized in the pages of his brother’s bestselling novel, The Great Santini. In “A Tidal River Answers Prayer,” Tim petitions the restorative waters found in nature to heal him from any damage inflicted from an abusive father who carried the weight of his country as a fighter pilot back home to his family.
Each poem in this collection speaks to our shared humanity and to nature at large. I look forward to reading more of Tim Conroy’s work. In person, he is kind, approachable, and easy to talk to.
Kathleen M. Rodgers, novelist
He had me at the opening line in the first poem, “Assurances”:
“It comes to this:
Will we be all right?”
In language that is rich and vibrant, Tim Conroy writes with emotional impact about people and places, memories and landscapes, love and loss. With curiosity and longing that still clings to hope, he led me to places I’ve visited in my own life with the tragic loss of a baby brother who was just becoming a man. In “Two Little Joes,” Tim recalls boyhood days sleeping in the same bed with his brother Tommy, playing a game of cowboys and Indians as their mother shuffles by rousing them to get ready for school. I could hear their boyish giggles and for a few seconds, I was plunged back to my own childhood growing up in a large family with three brothers and two sisters. It’s a poem I’ll return to again and again.
In “Blessed,” the poet takes on prosperity preachers and their ilk, along with their followers. With each line and verse, I found myself highlighting phrases like “a pocketbook of judgement” and “Thank God, it is not me,” when it comes to praying for the poor. With each stroke of my highlighter, I was reminded of evangelicals praying for each other yet turning their backs on children at the southern border who are fleeing for their lives.
In a couple of poems, Tim reflects on growing up in a military family immortalized in the pages of his brother’s bestselling novel, The Great Santini. In “A Tidal River Answers Prayer,” Tim petitions the restorative waters found in nature to heal him from any damage inflicted from an abusive father who carried the weight of his country as a fighter pilot back home to his family.
Each poem in this collection speaks to our shared humanity and to nature at large. I look forward to reading more of Tim Conroy’s work. In person, he is kind, approachable, and easy to talk to.
Kathleen M. Rodgers, novelist
September 3, 2018
Wonderful collection of poems. The Conroys are such talented writers.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews