Imagine you had a place, a room to collect all of your found treasures: interestingly shaped rocks, a exquisite bauble, a wee bug or leaf that demands closer examination of the exquisite life lodged in its compact structure; everything you’ve ever wanted to stuff in your pocket and take home to house. In the early modern era those who had space and ability to do so, did. A “room of wonder” was a space dedicated to holding things that you look at, and then can’t help but look again; a place for examination and fascination of things both ranging from bizarre to beautiful.

I visited a modern model of a room of wonder a few years ago at the Walters Museum in Baltimore. The room was jam packed, stuffed to the gills, and full to overflowing with enchanting and engrossing things: footlong butterflies from the other side of the world, cuneiform clay cone, and, I kid you not, I learned of similar rooms with botanical style sculpture made of preserved human organs. Wow. The room of wonders, a cabinet for curiosities was truly a place to put anything that incited the owners interest or at least gave them pause.

I wondered what a room of wonders of my own creation might look like, or what about a virtual one here at Segullah? 

And so it began. We’re now crafting one of our own design as a new weekly feature. Peculiar Treasures is the place we are curating items of interest and intrigue, perhaps some bizarre, but certainly some beautiful: articles that caught our attention, items of interest, or maybe something that just made us catch our breath in wonder, and want to pull it closer to examine the exquisite life and light within it.

Even though we’d like to write and think further about all of them, there is hardly enough time. But in keeping with our primary interest in writing, we plan to attempt to respond to one item each with what we’re calling First Draft Poetry. It’s exactly that, and we’re including the link to the curiosity that inspired the rough poem.

So welcome to our little space, and a big welcome to Kellie George, a lifelong Aussie and longtime Segullah staffer who is stepping up and out as a welcome companion to me as Segullah Blog Co-Editor.

We now give you our first edition of this week in review:

If the shifting of lines to read as poetry in The Book of Mormon A Reader’s Edition by Grant Hardy rang out fresh and beautiful to you too, read on what it does for some of Joseph and Emma’s prose. Gorgeous.

Neylan McBaine’s new book is out and I can’t wait to dive in.  Catch her talk about it in  an interview she did for the SLC Tribune along with our own Editor, Shelah.

Did you catch this gem in person at Education Week? Great news, you can read the thoughtful plug for reading secular books for spiritual value here, the same way I did.

John Landbeck’s moving post about the passing (and likely suicide) of his son is worth reading and sharing. Faith, consequences, love and more love shine in this piece.

“Manners are a way of showing other people we care about them”. This little gulp of a column discusses four little words we can use to be more empathetic.

Did you know crutches have been around pretty much exactly as they are for the past 100 years? Check out this competition entry in making crutches better for humanity, what a stunning and beautifully useful idea.

If you identify with being a little weird, check out http://thegardenofenid.tumblr.com/ which follows the cartoon adventures, struggles and faith of Enid, “a weird Mormon Girl”. At times touching, hilarious and always thought provoking, Enid presents life in messy lines and unexpected greatness.

Which leads us directly to our first First Draft Poetry attempt, prompted by the weird and glorious brilliance of Enid.

Here is the first draft of “Reality Check”, by Kellie.

They keep telling me
You
think so far out of the box!
While I look around
wondering
“What box?”

I’m sensible, responsible,
A grump when I’m tired -
And I still wish penguins
lived in my freezer
and yelled
“Shut the door!”
so the disco ball
could shine
bright.

We’re already excited to bring you more Peculiar Treasures to start your week next Monday.

Sandra

Segullah Blog Co-Editor