ABM Supporter donates part proceeds of his latest Poetry Anthology to ABM

God has given us each different gifts and talents. We are then called to use them in God’s service. Fr David Thornton-Wakeford is not only an experienced (and now retired) Anglican priest, he is also a gifted poet. In David’s latest anthology, Wine, Waiting and Wonder, his poems are complemented by images from the photographer, Italo Vardaro.

ABM would like to congratulate David on his latest publication and thank him for generously donating $10 from each book sold to the work of ABM.

In the Foreword, Rosa Matto, a teacher, chef and writer says:

“[David] is a man of faith – faith in God, in nature and us, his companions on life’s road, with all our foibles and faults. A man whose humanity and great sense of humour – ‘Been to a bevy of baptismal bun fights in my time’ – reminds us that life and our world are fragile.

“His is a practical ministry: he is not afraid to face us with hands discoloured by the dirt of the vineyard or blood stained with the colour of the wine. In his life and his work he ‘got the prayers flowing and the casseroles going’ as he says of Frances in Dawn Service at Beaconsfield.

“There is great poignancy in this anthology. We physically relive the pain of childbirth, remember the terrors of parenthood, feel the knife wound of losing precious friends but always we find the balance of empathy and intelligent wit that make life bearable, indeed joyful and worthwhile…

“David acknowledges that the stress of Coronavirus makes us ‘retreat to the things within’ but elsewhere he urges us not to ‘erect a fence, make our defence’. There are ordeals to be endured: climate change, drought, fires. In his wisdom and in his poems, David counsels us to be proactive, not to take a stoic stance because the earth is God-given: ‘A challenge is here for all of us – we walk on holy ground’.

“Italo Vardaro’s commanding images bring a powerful physicality to the anthology…”

You can order Wine, Waiting and Wonder directly from David. Individual copies are $35.00 (plus postage) with a 20% discount for orders of 5 or more (plus postage). Please email your order to davdeb@internode.on.net with your name and postal address. Bank details will then be provided for payment.

You can hear Lynn Arnold’s radio interview with Rev’d David Thornton-Wakeford here