In the Shelter: A Close Reading
Three prompts to enrich the opening of a creative work
Welcome to Slant Letter’s spring seasonal intensive! Become a paid subscriber to join our full close reading of Pádraig Ó Tuama’s In the Shelter for an editor’s annotated insights on an extraordinary meditation on the stories that shape us. These will be exclusive letters sent straight to you running from the end of March through May.
When introducing a work, a reader needs orientation. Who are you, exactly? What’s your stake in all this? What’s your expertise to tell this tale? And where are you taking us as the pages flow forward?
is a poet, a narrative theologian, and his storytelling voice lends vibrancy to the work of In the Shelter, which is where we begin our close reading today.Reading over Pádraig’s shoulder at his writing desk, we’re tending today to three prompts that can enrich the opening of any creative work.