Norris’ central idea is that mystery is the core of being. It is in us and around us. Given a chance, something deep inside will show up as longing, something that can’t be explained but needs expression. This is what she begins to call “soul singing.”

A well-known writer and poet now in her eighties, Gunilla Norris offers this collection of short prayers, tender moments of awareness, even humming, that express her yearning for and experience of connecting with the Source of all. Norris’ expressions have a universal feel, and speak across a spectrum of traditions. Above all, Soul Songs shows how sometimes we simply can’t help but lift our hearts and sing for the soul’s sake.

“Oh, that I could/ learn to live/in a small/sacred way/as a keyhole/a hollow reed/a window/or a buttonhole . . .” exclaims a poem toward the beginning of this collection. The short lines, plain speech, and brevity are consistent with the poet’s wish to embrace the small and humble, the unassuming. That said, she is looking for openings, closure, vision, closeness, and the longing in these poems is mighty. It is the ache of love one finds in the tradition of sacred song, which dares to propose relationship with a “trackless immensity—” in these poems addressed as “You.” Such longing leads this poet to experience her fullest humanity within the presence of the sacred brought near, taken into the body, borne, and reborn in the small revelations potential in every moment of pure attention. These poems are prayers.”
—Margaret Gibson, State of Connecticut Poet Laureate, 2019-22; author of Draw Me Without Boundaries

“Soul Songs fight through the busy-ness of daily life, aiming for patience, observation, and eventually, joy. Follow these melodious and wise poems through a spare, meditative world where ‘the red geraniums are shaking/their crazed castanets.’ Norris prays in a milk-calm tone, bringing us closer to the divine.”
—Tina Kelley, coauthor of nonfiction bestseller, Almost Home: Helping Kids Move from Homelessness to Hope, and poet, Rise Wildly (2020)

“Soul Songs awakens us to the sacredness that suffuses everyday life. This collection is a flow through of heart-wisdom—each song calls forth a precious and often hidden part of our being.”
—Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge