About The Author
Ryan Diaz is a writer and poet from Queens, NY. He holds a BA in History from St. Johns University and a MA in Biblical Studies from Reformed Theological Seminary. His writing has appeared in publications like Cathexis Northwest, Transcendentals, Dappled Things, Dew Drop, The Curator, Ekstasis, Christianity Today, and Premier Christianity. He is the author of three poetry books, For Those Wandering Along the Way (Wipf & Stock), Skipping Stones (Wipf & Stock), The Wounded Monk, and a chapbook of short poetry, Like Falling Leaves.
Ryan’s poetic work seeks to find the divine in the ordinary, the thin place where the transcendent and the mundane meet. His interests include the literature of JRR Tolkien, Gary Snyder, and the Beats, the intersection of Poetics and Theology, the Christian Mystical Tradition, Zen Buddhism, and the relationship between Art and Religion. He lives in Queens, NY, with his wife, Janiece, his son Damian, and is a lifelong (self-loathing) New York Mets fan.
AWARDS:
Winner of Fathom Magazine’s Writing Contest (2021)
Praise for The Wounded Monk:
“The Wounded Monk is an honest exploration of doubt, being, and becoming. Diaz's long narrative poem serves as a backdrop for the collection and highlights the tensions Diaz wrestles with in his collection's more personal moments. Diaz offers no resolutions and instead invites readers to consider what it means to wrestle with the person they are and the person they might become.”
- Marco Cavazos, Novelist & Poet
“With flowing language and an eye keenly tuned in to his surroundings, Ryan's world seems to orbit in a meditative flight across modern existence, examining every strange, mysterious thread holding the fabric together. Boldly approaching such questions as faith, purpose, God, and the quiet beauty of ‘each living thing / dependent on another’, these poems call to mind the barbaric yawp of Whitman, with the cool tone of the Beats. A wise and pensive collection to be read and reread.”
-Spencer K.M. Brown, author of Hold Fast
“Deeply felt and deeply human, The Wounded Monk is the song of the poet-monk-the search for meaning in a world that so often feels meaningless, the longing for connection and discovery beyond bodily pleasure. Diaz urges his readers to come along with him on this journey, to look, think and feel. Like the frog trudging barefoot through"squelch and slop", if we look hard enough, we might find exactly what we're looking for, in the place we least expect it.”
-Brandon McQuade, Poet
