Intimations of the divine in the ordinary. Whispers of God in the everyday. The sacred hiding in plain sight.
How does God speak when we are not listening? Where does the sacred appear when we have stopped looking? What intimations of the eternal break through into our daily lives?
Intimations is the third book in Dr. Alan Altany's Christian Poetry of the Sacred series, contemplative, theologically rich poetry for readers who refuse to settle for superficial faith or easy answers.
Drawing on a lifetime of theological study (Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Pittsburgh) and decades of teaching Comparative Religions, Dr. Altany explores how God breaks through in unexpected moments: in suffering and beauty, in the mundane and the sublime, in absence and presence, in silence and speech.
This is not devotional verse designed to comfort or reassure. This is intellectually honest, mystically grounded poetry that:
- Challenges readers to rethink assumptions about faith
- Revitalizes theological language through poetic precision
- Explores doubt, grace, and divine absence with unflinching honesty
- Speaks to Catholics, Protestants, seekers, and skeptics alike
- Refuses to minimize the difficulty of belief or the reality of questions
The series has earned a 4.9 out of 5 stars from readers seeking depth, beauty, and spiritual authenticity in their reading.
WHAT MAKES THIS POETRY DIFFERENT:
This is contemplative poetry in the tradition of Thomas Merton, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and Christian Wiman. It assumes intelligence in its readers. It does not preach. It does not provide easy answers. It invites encounter, question, reflection.
Dr. Altany's poetry has appeared in Beltway Poetry Quarterly, North Dakota Quarterly, Montreal Review, Valley Voices, and other respected literary journals, demonstrating a commitment to literary craft alongside theological depth.
PERFECT FOR:
- Catholic Studies programs and seminary libraries
- Contemplative spirituality centers
- Poetry and Theology course syllabi
- Readers seeking alternatives to greeting-card Christianity
- Those interested in mystical Christian literature
- Spiritual direction and contemplative prayer groups
- Readers of Commonweal, America Magazine, Christian Century
- Anyone exploring the intersection of faith and doubt
THE COMPLETE CHRISTIAN POETRY OF THE SACRED SERIES:
1. A Beautiful Absurdity (2022) - On faith's paradoxes and absurdities
2. The Greatest Longing (2023) - On divine desire and human yearning
3. Intimations (2024) - On encountering the sacred in the everyday
4. Poems to God (2025) - On prayer, praise, and the profane world
Each volume stands alone but together they form a comprehensive contemplative exploration of Christian faith in the contemporary world.
About the Author :
Dr. Alan Altany recently retired as a professor of Comparative Religions and holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Pittsburgh. His poetry has been published in Beltway Poetry Quarterly, North Dakota Quarterly, Montreal Review, Valley Voices, and numerous other respected literary journals.
As a Catholic contemplative poet and theologian, Dr. Altany's work explores the sacred in contemporary consciousness, intimations of God in ordinary experience, and the "beautiful absurdity" of Christian faith in a profane culture. His four-book series, Christian Poetry of the Sacred, represents a lifetime of theological study and spiritual reflection, offering intellectually rigorous, mystically honest verse for readers seeking depth beyond devotional platitudes.
Dr. Altany's poetry has earned a 4.9 out of 5-star rating on Goodreads, with readers describing his work as "powerful poetry from a life lived, at times, at the extremes of God's grace and of his own weakness."
His complete series includes:
- Poems to God (2025)
- Intimations (2024)
- The Greatest Longing (2023)
- A Beautiful Absurdity (2022)
Visit his poetry website and blog at www.alanaltany.com
