B11: Thomas Merton: Influences on his Poetry & Spirituality

Start date: October 30, 2025

Time: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Location: AU Kennedy 119

Category: WISE Class

Event Summary:

This is a five-week class that will meet in-person on the Assumption campus; meeting dates are Oct 30, Nov 6, 13, 20, Dec 4

Event Description


Class dates: Oct 30, Nov 6, 13, 20, Dec 4 (5 weeks)

Class time: 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm

Location: Assumption, Kennedy 119

Participants will investigate Merton’s spirituality through his poetry. Topics will include the influence of several poets on Merton’s own poetry: William Blake, Saint-John Perse, Daniel Berrigan, Mark van Doren and the emergence of Latin American poets in the 1960s.

Instructor: Thomas Brennan previously taught a WISE course on Robert Moses and Thomas Merton. He studied Merton’s writings in college at the Catholic University during the early 60’s and received a degree in Theology from Manhattan College in 1969.