Explored in this book are women's contributions to letter writing in western Europe from the sixth to the sixteenth centuries. The essays represent the first attempt to chart medieval women's achievements in epistolarity, and the contributions to this volume situate the women writers in a historical context and employ a variety of feminist approaches.

This early example of a spiritual diary incorporating the visions of a female mystic offers a glimpse of religious women's daily life and spiritual practices. Agnes Blannbekin was from an Austrian farming family, but as a Beguine lived an urban life: Ulrike Weithaus refers to her experiences as 'street mysticism'. Blannbekin's spiritual life revolved around the liturgical cycles of the church year, but also embraced the opportunities and vagaries of city life. Her visions comment on memorable events such as a popular bishop's visit to town during which people were trampled to death; the...

A collection of autobiographical writings and poetry by currently incarcerated American Indian men, this book offers a rare view of American Indian struggles and grassroots spirituality in the "Iron House." With an emphasis on spiritual healing and a hard look at life on the streets, the authors offer a powerful invitation to rethink stereotypes and to imagine new ways of culturally and spiritually based justice for American Indian men, women, and their families. The Brothers of the Buffalo Prayer Circle is active at the Alexander Correctional Institution in Taylorsville, North Carolina. The...

This book introduces some of the core teachings of the seven rites of the Lakota in the words of a Lakota Elder from Eagle Butte, SD.