Skip to content
Melanie Weldon-Soiset

Melanie Weldon-Soiset

Connecting curious people with prayer and poetry so that we can find our true homes

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Publications
    • Poetry
    • Commentary, Sermons, Memoir, and Book Reviews
  • Why Poetry?
  • Events & Speaking
    • Speaking Requests
    • Retreats, Book Clubs, and Workshops
  • About Melanie
    • A Peek at Melanie’s Bookshelf
  • Support
  • Contact

“Cabin Fever Compels Me to Bike to the Anacostia River” [verse paragraph poem]

May 9, 2022May 9, 2022 ~ melanieweldonsoiset ~ Leave a comment

Check out my verse paragraph poem "Cabin Fever Compels Me to Bike to the Anacostia River," along with an explanation of the verse paragraph form, some famous contemporary examples, and a verse paragraph writing prompt!

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • WhatsApp
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

“A Turn in the River” [chiastic poem]

May 2, 2022May 2, 2022 ~ melanieweldonsoiset ~ 1 Comment

Check out my new poem "A Turn in the River," and learn about the ancient (and Biblical!) poetic form known as chiasm.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • WhatsApp
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

How to Write War, Wounds, and Elegies: Seven More Questions for Pastor Poet Patrick Cabello Hansel

April 20, 2022April 21, 2022 ~ melanieweldonsoiset ~ 1 Comment

Point of view. Persona & speaker. Distance. All of these factors impact how to write war poetry. Pastor poet Patrick Cabello Hansel shares more, including how his own family ties to Ukraine have influenced his work.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • WhatsApp
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Walking with the Tender Awe of Poetry: A Hand of Blessing on Ashes

April 6, 2022March 31, 2022 ~ melanieweldonsoiset ~ 2 Comments

As guest contributor Darcy Wiley notes, "Poetry may not solve problems, but it often de-centers them, bending toward small creatures and hidden moments."

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • WhatsApp
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

“Unweaving the Veil” [poem about Annunciation and deconstruction]

March 29, 2022March 28, 2022 ~ melanieweldonsoiset ~ Leave a comment

"Unweaving the Veil" celebrates the Feast of the Annunciation. I'd argue it's also a poem about deconstruction.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • WhatsApp
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

“The Tao of Christ” [poem, clouds, and intriguing back story]

February 21, 2022 ~ melanieweldonsoiset ~ 2 Comments

God spoke to me, and surprised me, through my own words as well as the words of a colleague this past week.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • WhatsApp
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

“Questioning Plates” [poem and writing prompt]

February 10, 2022February 10, 2022 ~ melanieweldonsoiset ~ 1 Comment

What is the role of art in navigating national, ancestral, and personal reconciliation? Check out my new poem "Questioning Plates," as well as a writing prompt, that explores that question.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • WhatsApp
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Triptych for Cosmic Music [Advent pandemic poem]

December 24, 2021 ~ melanieweldonsoiset ~ Leave a comment

Check out this Advent pandemic poem, which is one of my attempts at putting the past two years into words.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • WhatsApp
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

What Makes Good Haiku? (hint: it’s not 5-7-5)

December 20, 2021December 28, 2021 ~ melanieweldonsoiset ~ Leave a comment

Many of us are quite preoccupied this week with holiday preparations. Yet I imagine many of us also yearn for some quiet space in the New Year for reflection. Haiku is a perfect form for this practice. Read on to learn more.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • WhatsApp
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

They’re Here! Check Out These Brand New Events

November 3, 2021 ~ melanieweldonsoiset ~ Leave a comment

I'm offering some brand new events, which is a key way I seek to "connect curious people with prayer and poetry so that we can find our true homes." I'd love to have you join me!

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • WhatsApp
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Posts navigation

Older posts

My name is Melanie, and I’ve worn many labels over the years: poet, pastor, teacher, student, immigrant, #ChurchToo survivor. I’ve learned, however, that the label that fits best is “child of God.” One day that phrase will be my epitaph. Until then, you’ll find me at my best resting in a hammock, biking on local DC green ways, or enjoying a fire by the hearth on a cold winter’s night.

Categories of Poetry Posts

Tags

#ChurchToo abuse Advent Amethyst Review art Bible birth canal blessing book review Calvinism caregiving centering prayer changing season chronic conditions clinician Cloud of Unknowing commentary contemplative practice COVID critique cut up poem darkness Days of Awe EastLit ekphrastic poetry Elul embodiment everyday pandemic life feedback groups found poem healer healing art high priest Holy of Holies home interview Isaiah 11 Judaism kintsugi Malaysia medical humanities memoir mental health narrative medicine National Poetry Month nephesh pantoum parallel chart piyyuttim poem poetic process poetry feedback group poetry process poetry prompt prayer Quitting Time Rabbi Rachel Barenblat reference range Rosh Hashanah rough draft September serendipity sermon shofar slam suicide ideation Temple trauma Veneta Masson war website World War II wounds writing prompt Yom Kippur
My Tweets

© Melanie Weldon-Soiset, 2021. This web site is the online home for my creative endeavors. The content offered here does not necessarily reflect that of my church, and/or any other employment that I have. To quote excerpts online, please link back to my original article. For all other uses, please contact me. Thank you. 

Website Powered by WordPress.com.
  • Follow Following
    • Melanie Weldon-Soiset
    • Join 50 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Melanie Weldon-Soiset
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
    %d bloggers like this: