Description
The trick has always been to be quiet enough to hear the things that need to be heard. Or at least willing to put one’s ear to the ground (or sky or heart) of silence in order to pick up something new/ancient, beyond the all-too-human. It turns out silence is not empty, but rich with raucous conversations. The poems harvested here include a biodiversity of voices: of the more-than-human, alter-egos, inner voices, ancestors, Muse, Mystic, and Mystery. Conversations with archetypes such as The Artisan, The Priestess, Butterfly, the Emperor of Dust, and Tumbleweed Tøm, reveal astonishing perspectives on cosmic unfolding, grief, belonging, presence, and post-imperial imaginings.
Whether maniacal or mysterious, delusional or delicious, An Ambitious Silence offer a symphony of vibrant voices and a multitude of un-author-ized conversations worth leaning into.
You can also get a digital E-book of An Ambitious Silence sent directly to your device from Amazon.
Ryan Van Lenning, M.A., is author of Trust the Ceremony, F*ck the Ceremony, Trust the Ceremony, Re-Membering: Poems of Earth and Soul, One Bright and Real Caress, From Inside These Wild Ones, and High-Cooing Through the Seasons, a collection of haiku. His new collections Becoming Beautiful Barbarians and Riverever will be released throughout 2025-26. He is the 2019 recipient of Jodi Stutz Poetry Award by Toyon Literary Magazine and his work appears in journals and the books A Walk with Nature: Poetic Encounters That Nourish the Soul and Behind the Mask: 40 Quarantine Poems from Humboldt County. Ryan is founder of Wild Nature Heart, supporting people to re-connect with the wisdom of both inner and outer nature, to live their callings into the world, and to assist in the work of repairing broken belonging during this Great Turning. He is a teacher, ecotherapist, and wilderness rite-of-passage guide and lives among the forests and rivers of Northern California.
Testimonials for previous collection Re-Membering:
“Bless Ryan Van Lenning for listening to the wild voices and bringing back the news for those who have lost their way. Bless him for reminding us of our original love affair with the earth and of what we know deep in our souls. His poems give wise counsel: let go of the debris, remember who you are, do not abandon your luminous thread.” —Lorraine Anderson, editor of Sisters of the Earth and Earth & Eros “Ryan’s poetry speaks deeply and clearly to the awakening to our true interconnected nature, which is the only way we can transform our world.” –Molly Young Brown, Author of Coming Back to Life: The Updated Guide to the Work That Reconnects (co-authored with Joanna Macy), Editor of Deep Times: A Journal of the Work That Reconnects
“Ryan’s poetry sprouts out of him from moist, fertile soil – painting a lush landscape of sensual and philosophical magic. His poems transport you to a way of living in relationship with the earth that is lovingly intimate. Ryan integrates body, spirit, and social commentary into a vision of how to live a nature-inspired life amidst noise and overrun technology. ” Ariana Candell, LMFT, Founder of The Earthbody Institute
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