Patricia S. Taylor Edmisten was raised and educated with the traditions of the Catholic faith. But in later years, she began to question this faith on which she had relied for most of her life. In "A Longing for Wisdom, " she probes her conscience and presents writings about women, particularly their diminished role in the Catholic Church.In this collection of poetry, prose, memoir, and essays, Edmisten addresses a range of issues relating to women: The uniqueness of women's talents, burdens, and sorrow The failure of the hierarchy of mainstream churches to recognize the contributions of women in the Church's history The widely accepted relegation of women to peripheral rather than central roles within churches The unexamined unease the hierarchy and some priests exhibit toward sexuality-their own and women's-contributing to injustice within the Church and societyChallenging, thought-provoking, and inspiring self-examination, "A Longing for Wisdom" calls for Church reform in an era where conventional wisdom has taken precedence over the wisdom of Christ.

Patricia S. Taylor Edmisten was raised and educated with the traditions of the Catholic faith. But in later years, she began to question this faith on which she had relied for most of her life. In "A Longing for Wisdom, " she probes her conscience and presents writings about women, particularly their diminished role in the Catholic Church.In this collection of poetry, prose, memoir, and essays, Edmisten addresses a range of issues relating to women: The uniqueness of women's talents, burdens, and sorrow The failure of the hierarchy of mainstream churches to recognize the contributions of women in the Church's history The widely accepted relegation of women to peripheral rather than central roles within churches The unexamined unease the hierarchy and some priests exhibit toward sexuality-their own and women's-contributing to injustice within the Church and societyChallenging, thought-provoking, and inspiring self-examination, "A Longing for Wisdom" calls for Church reform in an era where conventional wisdom has taken precedence over the wisdom of Christ.

Patricia Taylor Edmisten, passionate woman with a fierce and tender heart, writes of family, pain, hope, nature and commitment to social justice. Her work is a strong voice speaking to the human condition. Jennifer Soule, Ph.D., Poet and Professor Emerita, Shepherd University. Patricia Taylor Edmisten's poems for tender-hearted wild women will surely also please nature lovers and strong men. Covering a range of subjects from careless littering in Aluminum Beach, to the Persian Gulf War in Middle East, 1991, the poems confront the micro and macro issues of the day. The numerous personal poems.evoking painful and pleasurable relationships.charmingly reveal the poet's nostalgic sensibilities. Mary Lowe-Evans, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, English Department, University of West Florida, Author of Crimes against Fecundity: Joyce and Population Control, and Frankenstein: Mary Shelly's Wedding Guest. Her poetry is alive, velvet rich, deep, and just blows my socks off. Nancy Gilliam, Legal and Independent Scholar. I thought I knew something about women, but Patricia Edmisten takes me into fresh, unmapped territory. allowing them to surface in vital images through small, rich verses which are no stranger to wit and surprise. Jack Beach: Poet, Author of The Grand Tour and Without a Net. Patricia Taylor Edmisten has done what poets are supposed to. She has courageously exposed her personal views of people and nature while crafting elegant language art. In evoking her intense reverence for even the commonest natural objects, she compels the reader to attend these miracles as well. Ron Evans, Ph.D., Poet and Professor Emeritus of English, University of West Florida, Author of The Creative Myth and the Cosmic Hero.