You can purchase a copy of the chapbook here. I’d love if you’d consider supporting me and my publisher Ethel in that way, but there’s also a free PDF available online through Ethel as well.
The idea for a prayer book for contemporary dating situations came about in a conversation I was in with other clergy. Often religious language and settings seem to speak so little to the reality of what myself and others experience dating to be like. There isn’t much space to discuss things like swiping and ghosting…or really, any situations that feel murky or complicated.
With the idea “prayer book for contemporary dating” in my head, I decided to write a series of poems that drew on Christian faith and the concept of prayer that were also relatively unfiltered – not attempting to be pious or priestly, but instead, honest and raw about dating, sexuality, and heartbreak. I found that some of my other poems about relationships and romance fit in well with this series.
I hope this chapbook will be relatable to anyone who has:
-struggled at times to know how their faith fits into their dating lives
-been ghosted
-gotten horribly bored with dating apps
-sleuthed the internet for info about a date
-kissed (or wanted to kiss) a stranger
-thought romance was supposed to be easier
-found something divine in a night out with friends
-had milestone experiences at an age older than you thought you would
-and ultimately, who’s known both hope & hurt in a search for love.
Though if you just like poems, that’s good too 🙂 – Megan
You can read some of the poems featured in the chapbook at the following journals:
“Gratitude Prayer for Internet Creeping” at Night Coffee Lit
“Prayer Book for Contemporary Dating: The Index” at Sad Girl Review (on p. 42 of the PDF/82 of the journal)
“Blessing of the Profiles” at Rust + Moth
“Saturday Night Communion, Senior Year of College” at Rogue Agent Journal
“A Kiss Named ‘Yes, I Really Was That Old'” at Gyroscope Review (on p. 18)
Megan McDermott 