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Poet, Essayist and Acediac Kathleen Norris

Series: New Letters on the Air
From: New Letters on the Air
Length: 00:29:00

A forgotten word makes a comeback in the book ACEDIA & ME, by poet and essayist Kathleen Norris. She examines the origin of acedia--a kind of emotional sloth--and weaves personal experiences with the feeling, once one of the "eight bad thoughts" that became the seven deadly sins. Read the full description.

Norris_kathleen_small "Acedia" was a once-common notion--one of the "eight bad thoughts"--but it was folded into sloth as one of the seven deadly sins and vanished from common use.  Poet Kathleen Norris, author of DAKOTA: A SPIRITUAL GEOGRAPHY and THE CLOISTER WALK, spent time researching acedia, the state of not caring about anything. She describes her own struggle with this negative emotion that differs from depression and explores the word in her newest non-fiction book, "Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life."

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Piece Description

"Acedia" was a once-common notion--one of the "eight bad thoughts"--but it was folded into sloth as one of the seven deadly sins and vanished from common use.  Poet Kathleen Norris, author of DAKOTA: A SPIRITUAL GEOGRAPHY and THE CLOISTER WALK, spent time researching acedia, the state of not caring about anything. She describes her own struggle with this negative emotion that differs from depression and explores the word in her newest non-fiction book, "Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer's Life."

Broadcast History

This program originally uplinked to PRSS' Content Depot on June 25, 2010 for delivery to member stations.

Timing and Cues

PROMO: On the next New Letters on the Air... you may not know it, but at one time or another in your life, you’ve probably suffered from acedia [uh-SEED-ee-uh]. It’s a kind of emotional sloth that causes a state of listless uncaring. Poet and nonfiction writer Kathleen Norris re-discovers this ancient concept and intertwines it with memoir in her book ACEDIA & ME: A MARRIAGE, MONKS AND A WRITER'S LIFE...next time on NEW LETTERS ON THE AIR.
UPLINK DATE: 06/25/2010
PROGRAM LENGTH: 29:00 minutes
INCUE: (music) "Poet Kathleen Norris is best known for her creative non-fiction..."
OUTCUE: "...I'm Angela Elam for NEW LETTERS ON THE AIR."

Music: Studio Cutz: "Invitation" from Studio Cutz: Classical Guitar

Musical Works

Title Artist Album Label Year Length
Invitation Studio Cutz Production Library Light and Bright Classical Guitar. Studio Cutz 00:00

Additional Credits

New Letters on the Air is a production of the quarterly literary magazine, New Letters, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Partial financial support comes from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

Related Website

http://www.newletters.org/radio