Carolyn Brigit Flynn
SISTERS SINGING
Blessings, Prayers, Art, Songs, Poetry
& Sacred Stories by Women
edited by Carolyn Brigit Flynn
Sisters Singing is a fresh, vibrant, and intimate exploration of contemporary women’s spiritual lives.
With poetry, prayers and stories from more than 130 writers, as well as beautiful artwork and a section of original music notated for voice and instruments.
Sisters Singing offers a unique form of intimate connection with the divine that emerges from women of all faiths, a spirituality as it is lived and experienced by women today, in daily life, human relationships, mothering, meditation and prayer, as well as connections with the earth and the ancestors, culminating with prayers for peace and for the world.
READ CAROLYN'S ESSAY "Safe Houses," which is the Afterword to Sisters Singing, and was published in an expanded version in the Spring 2020 issue of Kosmos: Journal For Global Transformation.
Praise for
SISTERS SINGING
"I plan to keep Sisters Singing in arm’s reach for at least the next year."
– Maya Angelou, author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and On the Pulse of Morning
"This magical book is a well of blessings. Sit beside it, let down your bucket. Open it anywhere and you will hear their voices. Your sisters are singing, praying, murmuring stories, telling us, in a thousand ways, what we most need to know: that we belong to each other and to the living Earth."
—Joanna Macy, author of World As Lover, World as Self and Widening Circles
Carolyn Brigit Flynn at Sisters Singing Opening Event
Reading of Book's Introduction begins at 2:43
“As I read Sisters Singing I felt my soul change. In the midst of so much planetary uncertainty I felt peace welling up and spreading out. If you read Sisters Singing, I predict that you too will find yourself flipping back to the biographies every few pages out of gratitude for such full-throated, woman-generated spiritual vision."
—Brian Swimme, author of The Universe Story, and The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos
“Women have been waiting many generations for this inspired and far-ranging collection to accompany rituals, ceremonies, and meditations. A book as graceful as it is generous, SistersSinging offers the music of stories, prayers, and poems—a call to sacred community.”
—Brenda Peterson, coeditor, Face to Face: Women Writers on Faith, Mysticism, and Awakening
“Sisters Singing is a treasure trove to dip into as part of a morning meditation practice, or to give to a loved one as part of a greater spiritual conversation. This book is a great gathering of ordinary women living in extraordinary awareness of the beauty and danger of our times.”
—Alison Luterman, author, The Largest Possible Life and Desire Zoo
“Praises for Sisters Singing! This beautiful collection of poetry, song and prayer draws deeply from contemporary and ancient female wisdom. These offerings invite us to experience the power of song, poetry and art to open the heart, strengthen our communities and transform ourselves and the world. A profoundly embodied and nature-centered spiritual handbook for use in private prayer and meditation, community celebrations, rituals, ceremonies and gatherings of friends and family.
- Jennifer Berezan, singer-composer, “Praises for the World”
“My review copy has traveled, literally, thousands of miles with me now. The corners are banged up, the spine is scratched, and there are so many flags and markers you can barely see the edge of the page. Traveled, worn down, memorized, but still waiting to be opened for the truth that lies within.”
- Story Circle Book Reviews
“If a person could only buy one book to use as a source book of profound or playful female writings, this would be the perfect book.”
- Feature Book of the Month, Rocky Mountain Retreat Center
“This impressive anthology of spiritual writing is like a hand-made quilt. Each piece is, in itself, a work of art, but it is the way they are woven together that brings out the true beauty of the whole. At times funny, at times heartbreaking, and always thought-provoking, these pieces reveal women trying to find and express our deepest selves. Whether they are imagining the inner life of an oak tree, singing a song to Mother Earth, practicing Buddhism, or grieving over the death of a long-time companion, these wonderful writers and artists offer compassion, wisdom, prayers, and luminous insight to anyone seeking a greater connection to themselves, to the earth, and to each other.
- Bookshop Santa Cruz, Bookseller Nomination for Indie Next
“If you want an idea of how women artists – in Santa Cruz and elsewhere –are actively working for peace and prosperity in the world, read this book. And read the biographical profiles at the end too. There’s hope in the world.”
- Santa Cruz Sentinel
“Sisters Singing” is an inclusive experience as it truly transcends religious boundaries that oftentimes exclude others. You will find yourself re-reading portions that touch your heart."
- American Chronicle
CELEBRATING SISTERS SINGING
A Film by Marigold Fine and Carolyn Brigit Flynnn
Experience the unforgettable, standing-room-only opening night honoring the publication of the anthology SISTERS SINGING.
With over 450 people gathered on a celebratory evening, the film has more than 25 poets, artists and musicians. CELEBRATING SISTERS SINGING is a sacred love letter to the world, filled with the possibilities of human relationship with all that is holy.
The film is an offering to anyone who loves the spoken word, great music, unique art, heartfelt praise of the sacred. The sisters will make you laugh and weep and sing. They will help you believe in the world of human possibilities. They will call you into your own heart. They will invite you to love what is sacred to you, to elevate what you cherish into the great Heart at the center of the world. They will give you hope.