Forged: Timeless Ways of Living
Crafting a Poetic Life with Malcolm Guite
00:0000:00
Poet, priest, and professor Malcolm Guite invites us into a conversation that moves from the Arthurian legend of the wounded king and ruined land to our own modern struggle to see the world as meaningful and alive. He shares how a childhood encounter with the Grail stories taught him that one reckless act can wound a whole world, and how healing begins with recovering wonder. Guite makes a compelling case for poetry and story as wisdom-bearers that help restore our vision. He closes with his radiant poem “O Sapientia,” a final invitation to recognize hidden wisdom “disguised as everything.”
Contributors
Host
Dr. Brian Williams
Podcast Host and Contributing Writer
Brian A. Williams (DPhil, Oxon) is Dean of the Templeton Honors College, Professor of Ethics and Liberal Studies, and Co-Director of the MA in Classical Teaching at Eastern University in Philadelphia. He is the founding editor of Principia: A Journal of Classical Education, speaks internationally on classical education, and serves on several academic and educational boards, including the Classic Learning Test (CLT). Previously, he taught at Cair Paravel Latin School and the University of Oxford. Dr. Williams earned degrees in theology and Christian ethics from Regent College and the University of Oxford, and his research focuses on education and formation in the Christian Intellectual Tradition. Brian is a runner, art collector, and traveler, having visited over 40 countries, often in search of sites and cities of the ancient world. He is married to Kim, a visual artist and teacher, and has three children: Ilia, Brecon, and Maeve.
Related Resources
Grit, Loyalty, and Poetry: How Classical Education Shaped a Future Army Leader
One day at a classical school changed the course of her life.
In seventh grade, Sarah spent a single day shadowing at Jackson Hole Classical Academy. She says she learned more that day than in the seven years of school before it.
What followed was an education in great books, Latin, and poetry learned by heart, including Rudyard Kipling's "If-" Years later, when Sarah arrived at West Point to train as an Army officer, she found that same poem on the walls of the barracks.
Today, Sarah is a West Point graduate preparing to lead a platoon of soldiers. Her story shows what classical education is for: forming young people who know what's right, do what's right, and give of themselves in service to others.
Toward a Renaissance of American Jewish Education
n his commentary on the Talmud — a body of Jewish learning that represents one of the greatest models of cultural preservation in the history of mankind — the medieval philosopher Moses Maimonides pointed to the rabbinic idea that "the world is sustained only by the breath of schoolchildren." His insight is a deep one: that the fate of every civilization depends, over the long term, on the work of perpetuation and transmission.
Inside the Unconventional College That Blends Classical Building Trades With Liberal Arts Education
Students at Charleston’s American College of the Building Arts are finding hope for a stable future in mastering crafts like blacksmithing and architectural carpentry.