Poetic Contemplation and the Divinity Within

Anchored to a conversation between carpenter-priest William Beers and philosopher poet John Koethe, participants will explore the meanings of being human in the contemporary world. Physics, the social sciences, philosophy and theology provide the cultural and personal context for contemplating the imagination, memory and mourning in the creation of meaning.

No experience needed, just a willingness to stretch your knowledge, imagination and awareness. We will inhabit the poems of John Koethe and others to deepen our contemplative awareness of the world and the divinity within. Please join us for this deep dive into modernity and modern poetry.

It is highly recommended that you pick up a copy of John Koethe’s thin volume of poetry, Cemeteries and Galaxies (Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2025) in advance. It is the collection central to this conversation between John and Bill. Some copies will be available for purchase the day of the event.

If you’d like to purchase a copy in advance of the event, contact Pam Shellberg at pshellberg@holywisdommonastery.org.

Schedule

• 8:00 am – Arrivals, Welcome, Gathering, Settling in
• 8:30 – 10:00 am – Session One
• 10:00 – 10:15 am – Break
• 10:15 am – 12:00 pm – Session Two
• 12:00 – 1:00 pm – Lunch
• 1:00 – 3:00 pm – Session Three
• 2:30 – 2:45 pm – Break
• 2:45 – 3:45 pm – Session Four
• 3:45 – 4:00 pm – Wrap-up

Speakers – Rev. William Beers, PhD and John Koethe, PhD

The Rev. William Beers, PhD, has been a carpenter and cabinetmaker for 50 years. A former hospital chaplain and university instructor, Bill has studied the relationships among suffering, mourning and the creation of meaning. His book, Women and Sacrifice, explores the gendered origins of sacred violence. For 20 years he was a fundraiser for an international Christian relief organization, traveling throughout the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America.

John Koethe, PhD, has published 20 books of poetry and has received the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award and the Frank O’Hara Award for Poetry. He has also published books on Ludwig Wittgenstein, philosophical skepticism and poetry, as well as the recent essay collection, Thought and Poetry. He is a distinguished professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Cost

$87/person includes lunch

Register

The registration deadline for this program is March 22, 2026. There is a 75% refund for cancellations before the March 22 deadline and a 50% refund for cancellations from the registration deadline until the start of the program.