The Book of Uncommon Prayer

by Katherine Mosby

The author of Private Atlars offers a collection of eloquent prayers that resist fashionable themes while celebrating the uniqueness of heartfelt supplication, combining poetry, spiritual lyric, and monastic tradition.

Genres: Poetry, Spirituality

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Ken Castillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alternative prayers for the everyday

I read this in my youth and have forgotten, somehow, that the prayers were arranged to the hours of a day. In this collection, the hours embody themes, longing, lust, despair, fascination. At times raw with emotion, the poems are a joy to speak and behold. I am glad to have found these again.

[Scribd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the Anglican Books of Common Prayer, here is a series of occasional invocations from dozens of our most gifted writers. It should be said right away that these are not (necessarily) religious prayers: They are frequently and wonderfully profane intercessions for the hungover, for the gluten intolerant, for those who can’t find their phones, for women buying Groupons for Brazilian waxes. That said, there’s more to these prayers than just wit (though there is certainly wit to spare). Sincerity and snark coexist and play off each other, often in the same poem, or even the same line.

The list of writers gathered here is simply remarkable: Rick Moody, Courtney Maum, Leslie Jamison, and J. Robert Lennon share space with dozens of emerging talents. One of my favorites parts of the book is that (as in the Anglican original), the names of authors don’t appear next to the prayers, creating a sense of anonymity that’s anything but.

[Randy Rasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

These concise little poems pack an amazing amount of power. Meditative.

[Aida · Rating 5 out of 5]

when i need to pause and think, i pull out this book. it has helped me clarify my thoughts.