Joy Marie Clarkson

Joy Marie Clarkson on You Are a Tree

This April, look forward to Joy Marie Clarkson's wise and refreshing theological insight as she discusses You Are a Tree: And Other Metaphors to Nourish Life, Thought, and Prayer. Joy achieved her PhD in theology from the University of St Andrews; it will be wonderful to welcome her back for what is sure to be an inspiring evening.

Sometimes we describe ourselves as trees. When we're thriving, we speak of being rooted and fruitful. When we struggle, we might describe ourselves as withering. These ways of describing ourselves matter because they shape the ways we live. But in a world dominated by efficiency, we have begun to use more unforgiving metaphors. We speak of ourselves as computers: we process things, we recharge. In doing so, we come to expect of ourselves an exhausting, relentless productivity.

You Are a Tree examines how the metaphorical descriptions we use in everyday life shape the way we think, pray, and live. Weaving together meditations on our common human experiences, poetry, Scripture, and the Christian tradition, Joy Marie Clarkson explores how metaphors help us understand things like wisdom, security, love, change, and sadness.

This book invites you to pay attention- to your experiences, and to the words you use to describe them. That attention reveals a richly layered and meaningful world, a refreshing perspective that nurtures wonder, gratitude, and hope.

Joy Marie Clarkson is the author of Aggressively Happy and host of the Speaking with Joy podcast. She is a research associate in theology and literature at King's College London and the books editor for Plough Quarterly. She holds a PhD in theology from the University of St Andrews.