Few contemporary writers ask the questions about faith, morality, and God that Christian Wiman does, and even fewer - perhaps none - do so with his urgency and eloquence. 'Zero at the Bone' begins with Wiman's preoccupation with despair, and through fifty brief pieces, framed by two more, he unravel...

Few contemporary writers ask the questions about faith, morality, and God that Christian Wiman does, and even fewer - perhaps none - do so with his urgency and eloquence. 'Zero at the Bone' begins with Wiman's preoccupation with despair, and through fifty brief pieces, framed by two more, he unravels its seductive appeal.

The book is studded with the poetry and prose of writers who inhabit Wiman's thoughts, and the voices of Wallace Stevens, Lucille Clifton, Emily Dickinson, and more join his own. At its heart and Wiman's, however, are his family - his young children (who ask their own invaluable questions, like "Why are you a poet? I mean why?"), his wife, and those he grew up with in West Texas.