Dear Julia, Peter and Gary,

At the moment, I’m halfway through Mark Vernon’s illuminating Awake! William Blake and the Power of the Imagination, and I’ve just finished Darcey Steinke’s This Is the Door: Notes from a Body in Pain, a kind of wild theology of the body (I loved her book on menopause, Flash Count Diary). I also recently finished Kathleen Stock’s fierce argument against the UK’s proposed assisted dying bill, Do Not Go Gentle, which I read while taking rich, salutary dives into my dear friend Maria Popova’s luminous Traversal. Next on my reading list is Rowan Williams’ new book, Solidarity, which feels prescient and nourishing for these persistently polarised times. I caught Rowan’s onstage talk with the formidable Freddie Sayers at the UnHerd Club last night and thoroughly enjoyed their brilliant, spirited conversation. I’m also looking forward to reading Andy Beta’s biography of Alice Coltrane, Cosmic Music, which I’ve just ordered. Thanks for the recommendation, Peter, I had no idea it had come out (I’ve sent a copy to Warren too). Looking at all these books, Julia, it feels as though it might be time for me to read some contemporary fiction. It’s been a while. Do you or anyone else have any recommendations?

Gary, there are many long-form, conversation-style podcasts that have stayed with me as moments of intense recognition, in which my jumbled, bumbling spirituality has been pulled into focus by a powerful exchange. A few that come to mind – the deeply humane Catholic conservative Andrew Sullivan in conversation with philosopher and atheist John Gray (Dishcast); the ridiculously Christ-literate non-believer Alex O’Connor (Within Reason) speaking to the mighty Iain McGilchrist; a brilliant conversation in which Ross Douthat talks with Ezra Klein, where robust religion collides with ‘Californian spirituality’; an arm wrestle over René Descartes and Blaise Pascal at UnHerd; the beautiful Sheldrake/Vernon Dialogues. These conversations are always dynamic, sometimes adversarial, yet always undertaken in good faith and in the pursuit of truth. All this interests me hugely, these fascinating examples of the push and pull of ideas, where the art of conversation transcends personal bias or matters of agreement and becomes revelatory. As William Blake wrote, “Without contraries is no progression,” and I truly believe this to be the case.

Having said all that, I am trying to limit the time I spend on my phone – zero social media, as always, but also fewer podcasts, especially the political ones. All that endless, stressed-out politics can become a kind of agitating, dinning tinnitus. I find that going about my business in relative silence, with attentiveness to the things around me, and free from the relentless opinions of others, is good for the soul. I am back in my office writing lyrics at the moment and am particularly in need of quiet, so that the words can find their way – and so that I have something to sing when I go into the studio next week with Warren to begin what may, in some far-flung future, when all the stars align and the planets clap their hands in joy, amount to the next Bad Seeds record.

Love, Nick

PS Just to say, people, there is a hip new search function in the menu on The Red Hand Files home page. Check it out!