The Annunciation, in Words and Stone

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Published on Thursday, 17 February 2011 17:07

The Annunciation is said to be the most depicted religious event in art. But those depictions have mainly been through the visual arts.

Now, the event where the Blessed Virgin Mary heard from the angel Gabriel that she had been chosen to bear the Christ child, is being celebrated in poetry as well as visually in a new volume published by The Ave Maria Foundation for the Arts.

The Annunciation in Poetry and Sculpture contains nine poems that were judged among the best submitted to a poetry contest last year that invited poets worldwide to submit poems on the subject of The Annunciation. The poems are in both in traditional and contemporary styles, and are set against the backdrop of color photographs that show the creation of the bas-relief sculpture of The Annunciation, carved from white Carrara marble for the façade of the Ave Maria Oratory.

The book contains the poem St. Anne, by Michael A. Norton of Traverse City, MI, (below left) which was awarded the grand prize in the poetry contest and also includes a work by author and theologian Michael Novak as well as poems submitted by poets from across the United States.

The Annunciation in Poetry and Sculpture is available for $10 at the Foundation for the Arts' welcome center in the town center next to Beckner Jewelry and also can be purchased at the Ave Maria University bookstore or by phone at 239-352-9902.