The Best Spiritual Writing 1998
Edited by Philip Zaleski
HarperSanFrancisco, $15
ISBN 0062515667

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A stack of unread magazines waiting on the coffee table or bedside nightstand illustrates the frustration of busy lives. That is why an anthology like The Best Spiritual Writing 1998, compiled by Philip Zaleski, is the answer to a prayer.

The pieces were published in magazines and journals, some well known and some obscure, and include both prose and poetry. This anthology has such variety that there's sure to be something to suit everyone's taste and definition of spiritual writing. There is, for instance, a story about a woman's journey into the dark and cold of a Greenland winter, and there is a poem composed for the canonical hours. Also included are pieces on meditation and prayer from eastern as well as Judeo-Christian sources.

The introduction by Patricia Hampl addresses the relationship between personal voice and spiritual quest and sets the stage for readers to explore some of 1998's most meaningful spiritual writing. Some readers may want to turn first to the writers they know and love like David Steindl-Rast, Madeleine L'Engle, or Thomas Moore. Or readers may look first to the original publications, like Parabola, to explore which spiritual writings merited being included here. Perhaps readers will be drawn in by titles like "Listening Days" or "Dog Bite Enlightenment."

The best thing about a book like this one is being able to pick it up, read one or two of the offerings, and return to it in days to come. In a world of busy lives and in a search for meaning fed by spiritual writing, Zaleski's compilation is a treasure.

Helen Stegall is a freelance writer in Little Rock, Arkansas.