One Nation, Under God

JOYFUL NOISE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN SPIRITUAL POETRY
Edited by Robert Strong
Autumn House Press (2006) 349 pages
ISBN 9781932870121, Poetry Anthology

"American" is not a nationality, but rather a religion. At least, that's what Robert Strong's spiritual anthology seems to prove. The collection includes a wide variety of American spiritual poetry, from Native American chants to African American slave hymns, to poems by well-known romanticists and transcendentalists such as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Walt Whitman, and concludes with many works by contemporary poets, some of which are even previously unpublished. By covering diverse religions including Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim, the collection exemplifies the religious freedom that America has preached for centuries. Robert Strong states that "All poetry is spiritual" in his passionate introduction, and explains how America's spirituality is so distinct: "While the rest of the world has its myths and fables to use as source material, America sings from the grit of our own lush and tragic soil." Strong's anthology shows religion in a multitude of contexts. Ralph Waldo Emerson offers "All things are moral; and in their boundless changes have an unceasing reference to spiritual nature," while a Native American chant cries "I am the Great Spirit of the sky,/The overshadowing power." Both show spirituality found in nature, yet are different in their origin and background. Jonathan Edwards and Cotton Mather write about the Puritan fear of God, while African American slave hymns show both praise and blame for God. Immigrants contribute to American spirituality as well, with the Chinese proverb "You will find joy in life when happiness comes/and sorrow fades."

The collection also shows a more modern view of God found in family, relationships, the unique as well as the mundane, the tragic and the beautiful. Gertrude Stein writes "A piece of crystal. A change, in a change that is remarkable there is no reason/to say there was a time." Strong includes poetry that while not blatantly mentioning God still offers a sense of spirituality and comfort in a greater being or existence. Catherine Meng, one of the featured contemporary writers, simply states that "A thought becomes a prayer/only when released/from the mind." With approximately one-third of the book dedicated to contemporary poets, Strong allows readers to understand the current situation of today's spirituality in America; it does not involve the strict worship of God, but instead requires the vision of spirituality and prayer in the everyday.

This anthology, while not an easy read, is a useful reference about the history and diversity of spirituality in America. With works from Edgar Allen Poe, Henry David Thoreau, Mark Twain, Allen Ginsberg, Robert Frost, and even traditional hymns like Amazing Grace and It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, the contents can be overwhelming, making the index of authors and titles and the index of first lines incredibly valuable. As Jonathan Edwards put it "the world shall be supplied with spiritual treasures from America," and that is exactly what Robert Strong has done. With such an extensive volume comprised of diverse authors, religions, and traditions, he shows that American spirituality has been shaped by the country's geography, ethnicities, literary movements, and even painful yet unforgettable moments, and that America's true identity can be found in its complex spirituality.