Thomas Merton: Insights and Interviews – An Anthology Drawn from 35 years of the Merton Annual (1988-2022) Interviews: A Thomas Merton Oral History

This two-volume set of essays and interviews from over 35 years of The Merton Annual is a sterling resource for Merton readers. Volume II brings together seminal oral-history interviews with people who knew Merton personally, along with little known or previously unpublished writings by Merton himself. This volume is a sumptuous banquet bringing together the highlights of this important scholarship and providing readers with firsthand accounts of Merton from among his fellow monks, close friends, and other key figures. The stories and reminiscences, the humorous anecdotes, the thoughtful reflections of Merton’ s confreres, friends, and scholars invite us to sit in on conversations that illuminate the person and spirit of Thomas Merton himself— the monk, the writer, the friend, the spiritual guide, the prophet. These volumes are a treasure trove! And must-reads for anyone interested in Thomas Merton, monasticism, Christianity, Catholicism, spirituality, contemplation, and religion in general.

Thomas Merton (1915-1968) is arguably the most influential American Catholic author of the twentieth century. His autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, has sold over one million copies and has been translated into over fifteen languages. He wrote over sixty other books and hundreds of poems and articles on topics ranging from monastic spirituality to civil rights, nonviolence, and the nuclear arms race. David M. Odorisio, PhD, serves as Director of The Retreat at Pacifica Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, CA, and is Associate Core Faculty in Pacifica’ s Mythological Studies graduate degree program. He received his PhD in East-West Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies and teaches in the areas of methodology, psychology and religion, and comparative mysticism. He has published in numerous journals in the fields of Jungian and transpersonal psychology, as well as The Merton Seasonal, and is co-editor of the volume Depth Psychology and Mysticism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). Glenn Amorosia first encountered Thomas Merton in 1971 when he read Thomas Merton on Peace while researching Catholic support of the anti-war movement. He is currently a member of the Atlanta Thomas Merton reading group led by Victor Kramer. He holds a bachelor’ s and graduate degree in Journalism/Communications from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He currently divides his time between Colorado and Georgia.

VOLUME 2 Preface Acknowledgements, Appreciations, and Copyright An Introduction in Intervals, By David Odoriso Volume II: Interviews Part One – Gethsemani Encounters “ Truly Seeking God . . . in Christ” , An Interview with Chrysogonus Waddell, O.C.S.O. Merton’ s Contributions as Teacher, Writer and Community Member, An Interview with Flavian Burns, O.C.S.O. Merton’ s Vocation as Monastic & Writer, An Interview with John Eudes Bamberger, O.C.S.O. Looking Back to Merton, An Interview with Matthew Kelty, O.C.S.O. “ The Great Honesty” : Remembering Thomas Merton, An Interview with Abbot Timothy Kelly, O.C.S.O. Merton’ s Quiet Influence, An Interview with Brother Frederic Collins, O.C.S.O. “ Aware and Awake and Alive” , An Interview with Brother Paul Quenon, O.C.S.O. Growing into Responsibility, An Interview with Mary Luke Tobin, S.L. Daughter of Carmel; Son of Citeaux: A Friendship Endures, An Interview about Thomas Merton with Angela Collins, O.C.D. Life through the Lens of Inner and Outer Freedom, An Interview with Jane Marie Richardson, S.L. An Interview with Fr. Kilian McDonnell, O.S.B. An Interview with Fr. Raymond Pedrizetti, O.S.B. ‘ Thomas Merton: A Monk Who “ Succeeded” ’ , An Interview with Dom M. Laurence Bourget, O.C.S.O. ‘ A Journey into Wholeness’ , An Interview with Myriam Dardenne “ Unadorned Ideal” , An Interview in Two Parts with Methodius Telnack A Single Sacred Community, An Interview with Charles Brandt From Monastic Studies to Monastic Renewal, An Interview with Brendan Collins Cultivating a Contemplative Lifestyle, An Interview with James Finley Spirituality, Scholarship and Biography, An Interview with Anthony T. Padovano “ A Very Disciplined Person” , An Interview with Canon A.M. Allchin Remarks Following a 2004 Poetry Reading, An Interview with Ernesto Cardenal Transcript of the Question and Answer Session for the Poetry Reading of Ernesto Cardenal From Faith to Joy: Studying the Church and Thomas Merton, An Interview with William H. Shannon “ Not Himself, but a Direction” , An Interview with John (Jack) H. Ford “ The Climate of Humor and Freedom” , An Interview with Ron Seitz An Interview with James Laughlin about Thomas Merton Interview with Lawrence Ferlinghetti “ Living and Learning with Merton for Decades” , An Interview with Victor A Kramer A Conversation with Dr. Hildegard Goss-Mayr about Thomas Merton An Interview about Thomas Merton with Dr. Martin E. Marty An Interview with Walker Percy about Thomas Merton Action at the Center An Interview with W. H. (“ Ping” ) Ferry An Interview with W. H. (Ping) Ferry about Thomas Merton Index