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Conspiracy of Light
Poems Inspired by the Legacy of C.S. Lewis
Poiema Poetry Series
by D. S. Martin
Imprint: Cascade Books
There was a time in my youth when I would buy and read any and every book I discovered by C.S. Lewis. What I had found was that he wrote in a way that engaged my mind like no other writer. He was respected in a variety of fields, and held passionately to his faith in Christ. Years later, when I began rereading his books, I was surprised to find that many of the ideas I'd held as my own had been planted by Lewis.
Each of the poems in Conspiracy of Light springs directly from something Lewis wrote, or from events in his life. The source for some will be obvious, even to casual readers of Lewis. The notes at the end of this book, although unnecessary for reading the poems, direct readers back to the source material. I would be pleased if my poems expand readers' appreciation of Lewis and bring them back to his work.
November 22nd of this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the death of C.S. Lewis. His is a legacy that will continue to grow as the years pass. Here I honor him, and the one for whom he wrote.
D.S. Martin is known internationally for his blog Kingdom Poets. His previous poetry collections include Poiema (2008), which was honored as a winner at the Word Awards, and a chapbook, So The Moon Would Not Be Swallowed. His poems have appeared in such publications as Anglican Theological Review, The Christian Century, Convivium, Ruminate, Sehnsucht, and Sojourners. He lives in the Toronto area, where he edits the other collections in the Poiema Poetry Series.
"D.S. Martin's lovely suite of poems, written in response to the legacy of C.S. Lewis, will delight all lovers of Lewis's work as each new poem picks out and sheds light on different facets of Lewis's genius. . . . Amidst the long shelves of writing about Lewis, this slim volume will give more pleasure, show more insight, and win more friends than most."
--Malcolm Guite, author of Sounding the Seasons
"Don Martin's new poetry not only sheds new light on Lewis's life and vision, but enlarges, crystallizes, and embodies themes of import to Lewis, and to all of us as readers. Conspiracy of Light is an expansive, exploratory, and reflective invitation to fresh understandings of Lewis, who, a poet himself, might find in these imaginative re-creations a worthy tribute. Martin's penetrating yet accessible poems shine their points of light on Lewis and on life."
--Luci Shaw, winner of the 2013 Denise Levertov Award and author of Scape
"D.S. Martin has visited the heart o f the great Christian apologist and novelist, C.S. Lewis, and come back with a message of confidence. Here are poems that affirm the holiness of what is at hand and what lies ahead, poems that have the courage to live in light."
--Richard Greene, winner of the 2010 Governor General's Award for Poetry for Boxing the Compass