The play 'Grand Concourse' refuses to simplify the cause or cure for spiritual desolation.

The monks of St. John’s Abbey Church welcome the stranger, as do those morning bells.

The best way to get to know a writer you love is to visit his or her home.

Depicting belief - believably - in a literary culture that views religion as a relic of the past.

Writing can reveal our inmost thoughts, our private histories and, ultimately, our mystery.

Both Plath and O'Connor were painfully aware of the demands their craft made on them.

There are two kinds of people in the world those who are Irish and those who wish they were At least that rsquo s how the saying goes mdash and I rsquo ve heard it quite a few times since I married an Irishman a few decades ago Most of the time I dismiss such bon mots of Irish pride for the blar

Someone arrived on my doorstep last week A new novel by Alice McDermott winner of the National Book Award and three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize is always an event for literature enthusiasts in general and for Catholic book lovers in particular McDermott rsquo s novels transport her read

The language and rhythms of 'Moby Dick' are inscribed in my mind and have formed my imagination.

The local pub has traditionally been regarded as sacred space in Irish culture Set apart from the arenas of ordinary life mdash the farm the fishing boat the office or place of business where one makes one rsquo s living and perhaps most significantly the home mdash the pub serves as a place a