Open Source with Christopher Lydon

Against Despair

Mar 1, 2024

Authors Christian Wiman and Danielle Chapman delve into the theme of despair, exploring poetry, spirituality, family tragedies, and societal values. They share personal experiences, highlighting the power of hope and creativity in confronting chaos and finding meaning in the face of darkness.

56:40

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Episode guests

Christian Wiman

Danielle Chapman

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Quick takeaways

Individuals can combat despair by preserving inner strength and confronting it head-on.

Poetry and spiritual experiences offer insights and breakthroughs in moments of despair, fostering resilience and hope.

Deep dives

The Many Forms of Despair

Despair, whether public or private, manifests in various aspects of life including existential, environmental, racial, political, and spiritual forms. While despair can seem overwhelming on a societal level, individuals can combat it by preserving a space within themselves to fortify against despair and find strength to confront it.

Introduction

2min

Poetry, Spirituality, and Transformative Encounters

9min

Confronting Unspoken Family Tragedies

17min

Exploring Fellowship, Forgiveness, and Belonging in a Shared Community

2min

Confronting Despair and Chaos

7min

Reimagining Societal Values in Turbulent Times

2min

Poetry as a Bridge to the Spiritual: Connecting with a Larger Reality

10min

Interpreting the Depths of Wallace Stevens' 'Domination of Black'

5min

The subject, in a word, is despair, both public and private. The poets and spiritual seekers Christian Wiman and his wife Danielle Chapman are back to goad us, each with a new book. Their project is staring into the abyss, in the Nietzsche formula, to see if the abyss stares back, or talks back. And I think it does.

Christian Wiman and Danielle Chapman.

Listeners, you be the judge. Christian Wiman’s new book is Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair. It’s more interesting because the woman who broke his life open in love, most of 20 years ago, is in on the conversation. And it’s more urgent when we can all feel despair out there, coming on like a cold front—some say an epidemic of loneliness or melancholy.

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Open Source with Christopher Lydon

Against Despair

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

The Many Forms of Despair

Connecting Poetry and Spirituality

Overcoming Personal Despair

The Role of Poetry and Faith in Despair

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts