Elements of Being: A Poetry Reading
with Melinda Emily Thomas
Friday, November 7, 2025
4-5pm Ireland
11am-12pm Eastern
8-9am Pacific
“Anyone can be a mystic and we are here begging you to notice” ~ Melinda Emily Thomas
Program Description
Join Abbey of the Arts Program Coordinator Melinda Emily Thomas for a free poetry reading to celebrate the release of her new book Elements of Being: A Spiritual Memoir in Verse. During this hour long free event Melinda will share poems and stories from the book as well as lead a guided meditation and conversation.
In the 108 poems in this collection, archetypes and memory entwine as personified elements weave with lived experience to chart the sacred terrain of motherhood, mental illness, and joy. The verses move like seasons through the ache of miscarriage, the fierce bloom of pregnancy, the primal truth of birth, and the weight of postpartum depression. They hold the sweetness of a child’s laugh, the pulse of landscape, and the expansive spiral of spirit. Rooted in the sacred rhythms of the earth, these poems embrace struggle, sorrow, and joy as vital threads in the fabric of wholeness.
We will turn on closed captioning during the live Zoom session (which you are able to turn off in your settings if you find distracting) as well as provide a video recording with closed captioning available and a text transcript of the session within 24 hours. You will be sent a notification when this is ready to view.
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Your Guide for the Journey
Melinda Emily Thomas
Melinda Emily Thomas is an author, poet, yoga practitioner, and artist writing at the intersection of earth-cherishing contemplative spirituality, mental health, and soul care. Her first book, Sacred Balance: Aligning Body and Spirit Through Yoga and the Benedictine Way, was named a 2020 Best Spiritual Book by Spirituality & Practice. Melinda is the Program Coordinator for Abbey of the Arts. She lives in North Carolina with her son and their cat, writes The Journal of Elements and Seasons on Substack, and always has flowers on the kitchen table. Her website is MelindaEmilyThomas.com.
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