Daily Nourishment for July 2, 2024: Inhabiting Hallways with Guidance from Words by Nick Ripatrazone
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 50 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 15 minutes
“‘The hallway is my sleep,’ writes poet Rafael Campo. Hallways are simultaneously prosaic and oneiric. Hallways are all about perspective.” - Nick Ripatrazone
Pause.
Take six deep breaths with a six-count inhale and a six-count exhale while looking at the image of a hallway below—a photo of a first-floor hallway in Clara Barton’s home available online via Google Arts.
Prompt.
Read the words below from a piece Ripatrazone wrote for The Millions about hallways in horror films:
“Jean-Paul Sartre thought modern existence contained a ‘labyrinth of hallways, doors, and stairways that lead nowhere.’ We believe — structurally, metaphorically — that all hallways end. Hallways were not meant for standing, but we adorn them with images. Li-Young Lee’s lines ‘The photographs whispered to each other / from their frames in the hallway’ capture the sense of this place.”
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“In our homes, hallways are spaces shared with those we know well; in hotels, hallways are tight byways, places where we share space with strangers.”
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“It is best to end with a film about nightmares, because that is how we sometimes encounter hallways. We wake from a bad dream and rub our eyes. Unable to sleep, we walk down the hall, and though we know there is nothing to be afraid of, our fingers trail along the wall, hope for comfort in the dark.”
Practice.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and journal or take notes in response to the words above and the items below.
Which physical actual hallways do you walk through on a typical day?
Which personal circumstances feel like hallways right now?
What sensations do you feel in your body when you close your eyes and imagine standing still in a hallway that’s meant for walking, for movement?
What do you grasp for in search of comfort and hope during times of uncertainty?
Want More?
Read “Divine Absence in Horror Films” by Nick Ripatrazone in Image journal
Learn more about Nick Ripatrazone, his writing, and work at nickripatrazone.com
Nick Ripatrazone is one of the workshop facilitators at this year’s Glen Workshop. During the month of July, Spiritual Direction for Writers® Daily Nourishment will feature Glen Workshop facilitators and other Glen-ish people, places, and things. Enjoy!
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Here’s more about Nick Ripatrazone from his website:
“I'm an author, editor, writer, and teacher. You can learn more about my work from this Catholic News Service profile.
My latest book, The Habit of Poetry: The Literary Lives of Nuns in Midcentury America, is the story behind a midcentury renaissance of nuns and sisters who wrote poetry (Fortress Press 2023). My recent books include Longing for an Absent God: Faith and Doubt in Great American Fiction and Wild Belief: Poets and Prophets in the Wilderness, both from Broadleaf Books, and Digital Communion: Marshall McLuhan's Spiritual Vision for a Virtual Age, from Fortress Press.
I'm the Culture Editor for Image Journal, a quarterly magazine that seeks to publish the best writing and artwork informed by or grappling with religious faith.
I've written for Rolling Stone, GQ, The Atlantic, The Paris Review, Esquire, Outside, The Sewanee Review, America, Commonweal, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, The Kenyon Review, The Iowa Review, The Mississippi Review, The Poetry Foundation, and elsewhere. My longform reported stories have been featured at Truly Adventurous.
I've lectured on poetry, literature, and Catholicism—in-person and virtually—at a wide variety of colleges and events: Columbia University, Notre Dame, the University of Scranton, LaSalle University, the University of Pennsylvania, Susquehanna University, Sewanee: the University of the South, Texas Tech, the University of Rochester, the University of St. Francis, and delivered the Keynote address at the 2023 Glen Workshop for writers and artists.
I live with my wife and twin daughters in the part of New Jersey with lots of forests and lakes and bobcats.”
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Upcoming Workshops & Gatherings
—The July Co-Writing Schedule is live.
—July 8: Thoughtful Readers Gathering with Anna Gazmarian 7-8 p.m. CT
—July 21-27: Charlotte Donlon will provide a few spiritual direction offerings at the Glen Workshop in Seattle
—July 27: Online Revision Stations Designed by Lauren F. Winner
Today’s Daily Nourishment was provided by Charlotte Donlon.
*Please help us protect our intellectual property, our creative process, and the integrity of our work. Spiritual Direction for Writers® Daily Nourishment is covered under the Spiritual Direction for Writers® trademark. You are welcome to share this link with others, but any other use (written or spoken) is prohibited without written permission from Charlotte Donlon.