Overview

Although civility may sometimes have been viewed as formal politeness and courtesy in one's speech and behavior, its meaning has become more complex in contemporary society. It certainly still has to do with how we speak and act, but these are overlaid with political and partisan meanings, and a variety of media and social media options. Poems on Civility says nothing new about diverse types of civility, or lack of them; however, it accentuates many emphases related to civility with words, phrases, images, metaphors, and similes that may help readers to think more vividly and act more intentionally to create a more civil society. The four sections follow a progression: """"Civility Starts with You,"""" """"Civility Depends on You,"""" """"Civility Must Be Discussed,"""" and """"Civility Must Be Done."""" Civility requires creative thinking and creative action. Above all, civility expects a just and equal regard of all human beings. Recognition of wrong-directed activities of leaders is one thing, but civility must be thought through, discussed, and acted upon. There is always the tendency of autocrats and anarchists to take away the rights of free speech and discussion. If the art of listening carefully to one another is lost, civility vanishes.

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Reviews

""S T Kimbrough Jr. has provided us a much-needed gift in this collection of thoughtful and provocative poems as he reflects on civility, a quality desperately needed in our highly polarized and partisan political climate. Today's leaders often seem immune to civility--vindictive, insensitive to human suffering, and unconcerned with the common good. But this problem is not just with our leaders. Civility is also often lacking in our interpersonal relationships. Kimbrough reminds us that the quality of civility called for today goes considerably beyond politeness and courtesy. Instead, it should reflect practices that express a deep commitment to justice and love in both public and private life. Moreover, and quite important, it is not just our leaders and politicians who are called to practice civility. Rather, as the title suggests, civility is a practice that begins with us, with our day-to-day dealings with each other, including those in the cyber world. We are all called to be civil servants."" --Jackson Carroll, Williams Professor Emeritus of Religion and Society, Duke University ""In our contemporary society marked by almost unbridgeable divisions and polarization among members of our human family, we are in such dire need of finding ways of being able to live together without bashing each other's heads. These poems on civility (as the foreword suggests) offer us some 'small sparks of light' in the midst of the darkness."" --Ruben L.F. Habito, author of Be Still and Know: Zen and the Bible

Author Information

S T Kimbrough, Jr. holds a PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary and is currently a research fellow of the Center for Studies in the Wesleyan Tradition at Duke Divinity School. He has taught on leading theological faculties in Europe and the US. He has published numerous books with Wipf and Stock and many books of poetry addressing natural, social, medical, and political issues, religion, civility, death, and the celebration of life.

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