Megan Muthupandiyan
Poet, Pilgrim, Illuminator
Illuminated Poetry
Forty Days in the Wilderness, Wandering
February 26, 2020 marked the first day of Lent, and the beginning of a 40 day spiritual exercise in which I wrote and illustrated a poem exploring where the sacred can be encountered in nature. Less than two weeks later, the world had irrevocably changed--the wilderness I sought to draw wisdom from more profound than I could have ever imagined.
This poet's journal sustained me during the dark, cold spring of lockdown and transformed my relation to creation, as one created, and as a creator.
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The poetry of spiritual hunger and devotion is so rare in our 24/7 news cycle/social media age [. . . ] That she would recognize the retreat-like possibilities of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown demonstrates impeccable perception and priorities, but what's most satisfying is to read these gorgeous poems of a fellow seeker who uses her tradition and this moment in time to move toward "the death of certainty"
and to a re-sacralization of nature.
Paul E. Nelson, author of A Time Before Slaughter and American Sentences
Praise & Reviews
This is a collection of cumulative beauty, power and perception - each image, each line becoming a meditation for the reader and providing a delicate delineation of what is often seen but rarely considered. Forty Days In the Wilderness, Wandering is a journey of the personal and the universal; a moving meditation and powerful reflection on our place in a changing world.
Anne McMaster, author of Walking off the Land
Forty Days In the Wilderness, Wandering is a set of incantory daily meditations. These poems of intimate connection with spirit, the natural world, and the poet's friends and family are accompanied by the poet's own daily mandalas of artwork. Intense, searching, and celebratory, the poet records love, connection, and loss. She gives us a double report of her rich interior life in her words and drawings.
Robin Chapman, poet, painter, and author of The Only Home We Know
About Megan Muthupandiyan
Meg Muthupandiyan is a poet, artist, and educator. She is passionate about creating space for people to contemplate art, poetry, and the natural world, both in and beyond the classroom.
She is the founder of the Poetry in the Parks project (poetryintheparks.org), which explores the sacred beauty of our land communities through collaboratively created poetry films.