The Tortoise Diaries

"We called him tortoise because he taught us."—Lewis Carroll A daily reader of prayer and meditation in serving the practice of lectio divina or "divine reading" based on the twelve chapters of Christian McEwen's 2011 book called World Enough & Time: On Creativity and Slowing Down. Focusing in turn on different subjects, each month introduces a new subject ranging from "the art of slowing down," considering good company and conversation, investigating "child time," to the joys and relaxation to be found in walking. Those who are familiar with Christian's original text will recognize many of the entries, which have been arranged so as to flow smoothly from one to the next, helping to deepen and clarify each particular theme. The title is drawn, with laughing gratitude, from Lewis Carroll (see the epigraph, above), though it has more ancient origins too. In The Tortoise Diaries, Christian McEwen gives her readers beautiful insight of how slowness can open doors to sustained creativity.