Some publications are well worth the wait: I submitted poems to this project in 2017, and about seven months later was informed that two had been accepted. And then, silence for nearly two years. But the editors had diligently been working behind the scenes, and despite the pandemic and the tragic death of Donna Walker-Nixon, one of the lead editors, A Fire to Light Our Tongues: Texas Writers on Spirituality has recently been released by TCU Press. Featuring work by such luminaries as Naomi Shihab Nye (the title is taken from her introduction to Sailing the Ocean: 100 Poems by Young Poets), Christian Wiman, A.G. Mojtabai, Rick Bass, Nan Cuba, Mary Helen Specht, Kevin Prufer and other well known Texas writers, it is “an eclectic work exploring spirituality, faith, and disbelief…” As serendipity (and maybe karma) would have it, I was touched to discover that my poem “La Grange,” on page 176, faces “A Stockyard Liturgy,” on page 177, a poem by my late friend D.G. Geis. The last time I saw Greg, we met at a restaurant in Bandera, Texas for a “losers’ lunch,” celebrating the fact that neither of us had won a poetry competition in which we’d both been named finalists.
Since I have poems in this anthology, I’m not going to offer a detailed review. But in all honesty I must state that A Fire to Light Our Tongues: Texas Writers on Spirituality is an exquisitely curated collection of fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry. Order it through your local bookstore, or through Amazon.
Edited by Elizabeth Joan Dell and Donna Walker-Nixon.
O at the Edges 
Congratulations, Bob.
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Thanks, Ken. I’m thrilled to have work in this volume. I guess I’m officially a Texas writer, even though I now live in Indiana. LOL.
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Congratulations, Bob! You’re in very good company.
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Thank you, Liz. It’s quite the honor!
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You’re welcome, Bob!
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Congratulations!
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Thanks, Andrew!
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You’re welcome.
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I’m glad it finally came together. Congratulations! (K)
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It was well worth the wait! Of course I’m now an Indiana writer, LOL. But I suppose I’ll always be a Texas writer, too.
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I think so.
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Congratulations, Bob! 5 years later – your patience rewards! And I ditto Liz’s comment, you are indeed in excellent company.
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Thanks, Lynne! I consider myself lucky and honored to have work in this anthology. And to have a poem facing one of Greg’s is the icing on the cake. A poignant icing.
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It is indeed a poignant icing!
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This looks fantastic, RO, congratulations! I love that the placement of your work and your late friend’s bestows extra meaning on the achievement.
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Thanks, SJ! I’m thrilled to be included. And the placement of my poem and Greg’s is perfect. I would never have asked for such, but there they are!
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Congratulations Robert, and the anthology sounds like it is well worth the wait.
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Thank you. It was indeed!
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I love the Title—A fire to light our tongues. What we all need as writers.
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Isn’t it wonderful? A Naomi Shihab Nye line…
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Fantastic! Congratulations on this publication … and on your patience through the waiting.
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Thanks, Jazz. It’s a wonderful anthology, one that I’m certain will be placed in many Texas library collections. The patience may have had more to do with forgetfulness than actual patience. Ha!
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