About the episode:

Joy Marie Clarkson, PhD joins us to discuss her latest book You Are a Tree: And Other Metaphors to Nourish Life, Thought, and Prayer. Hannah, Brandon, and Joy talk about what metaphors are and why they’re so useful in preaching, theology, and life. They ponder how humans are more like trees than machines and explore the metaphor of love as disease. Clarkson tells the story of how she ended up with her social media presence, and she shares a bit about her other books The Clubhouse and Aggressively Happy.

About the book:

In You Are a Tree, Clarkson examines seven ancient metaphors and what readers can learn from paying attention to how we use words and imagery to describe our lives. Through Clarkson’s beautifully written essays, she readies readers to recognize impersonal, industrial ways of talking about themselves and embrace being a human fully designed by God, living more attentively and meaningfully.

About Joy Clarkson:

Joy Clarkson is the author of Aggressively Happy and host of popular podcast, Speaking with Joy. She is the books editor for Plough Quarterly and a research associate in theology and literature at King’s College London. Joy completed her PhD in theology at the University of St Andrews, where she researched how art can be a resource of hope and consolation. Joy loves daffodils, birdwatching, and a well brewed cup of Yorkshire Gold tea. 
 

Episode links:

• You Are a Tree: And Other Metaphors to Nourish Life, Thought, and Prayer on bookshop.org and elsewhere
• Find Joy online:
  • ​https://joyclarkson.com/
  • https://www.instagram.com/joynessthebrave
  • https://twitter.com/joynessthebrave
  • https://www.facebook.com/p/Joy-Clarkson-100063508753020/
  • https://joyclarkson.substack.com/
• Joy’s podcast, Speaking with Joy: https://open.spotify.com/show/6wMjdC6a4zh7tLEn6J78dk?si=e12096091ae9462a

Download the transcript.