CatholicMom.com’s own Jake Frost has proved himself a versatile author: he’s penned a children’s book, a memoir, and now a volume of poetry.

In From Dust to Stars, Frost captures the reader’s imagination by grounding the poetry in history. The poems cover topics ranging from biblical figures and events to persecution of Catholics in Britain to saints of the Church. Some of them are even prayers, written in verse.

Reading poetry requires a very different focus than reading fiction or nonfiction. Instead of hurtling from beginning to end of a story, novel, article, or book, the reader of poetry spins away down the rabbit hole of imagination and wonder and making connections.

I stopped reading From Dust to Stars many times, so I could go down those rabbit holes. I needed to think about how things fit together, to let my mind wander, to wonder. And, I admit, I needed to Google — because Frost’s poems are interspersed with mini-history lessons that made me want to learn more. I found out that the same Franciscans who formerly staffed my home parish are the ones who recently returned to Walsingham. I was fascinated by the story behind “Quo Vadis?” I found myself thinking that “The Ones Who Went Before” could easily be sung in the style of a mournful Irish folk song.

So to all you who would seek to know
Who in dreams the seeds of wonder so
Nurture the wonder so that it grows …
“Saint Brendan”

Copyright 2018 Barb Szyszkiewicz
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. I was given a free review copy of this book, but no other compensation. Opinions expressed here are mine alone.