Description:
Unburied Alleluias gathers poems shaped by grief and gratitude, silence and song. These poems linger at gravesides and kitchen tables, in classrooms and sanctuaries, attentive to what refuses to stay buried--hope, memory, praise, and the fierce tenderness of shared life.
Rooted in the textures of faith, teaching, and lived experience, this collection listens for alleluias that rise not from certainty but from cracked ground. Here, lament and blessing are never far apart. Ordinary moments shimmer with sacred weight; voices long muted are honored; questions are welcomed rather than resolved.
Written by a poet-theologian and longtime educator, Unburied Alleluias is shaped by years of communal listening alongside students, colleagues, and friends. These poems invite readers to slow down, to pay attention, and to notice what sings even in the midst of loss. This is a book for anyone who has learned that praise is not the opposite of sorrow but often its companion. Indeed, some alleluias rise only after the earth has been disturbed.
Brief description:
Dr. Jill Crainshaw is a poetic theologian, poet, and artist whose work explores the sacred intersections of spirituality, justice, and everyday life. A founding faculty member of Wake Divinity, she has spent more than two decades teaching and writing at the crossroads of theology, embodiment, and lived experience.
Her newest poetry collection, Unburied Alleluias, invites readers to listen for hope that persists beneath grief, silence, and the unfinished work of justice. Through lyrical language and contemplative attention, the collection traces the quiet resilience of faith and the ways sacred joy can emerge even from the places where it has long been buried.
Crainshaw's work often blends theology, poetry, and story, resisting rigid boundaries between scholarship and art. In addition to writing, she creates freeform crochet "paintings" that explore texture, color, and movement as forms of contemplative expression.
She lives in North Carolina, where she continues to write, create, and mentor emerging voices.