Original Blog by Douglas J. Lanzo
composed on April 30, 2023 ©2023
When considering the historical figure of David, most first envision a great warrior king or the boy who slayed the terrifying Philistine giant, Goliath, with a mere stone flung by a slingshot. Less often do we think of David, who conquered and founded Jerusalem, as a joyful writer. However, in fact he is one of the most prolific and expressive writers of the Old Testament, having authored at least 73 of the Bible’s 150 Psalms.
Many are familiar with the comforting words of Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd…” but unfamiliar with the multitude of David’s other psalms that testify to David’s joy in celebration of God’s faithfulness in navigating him and the young nation of Israel through formidable—even existential—challenges. These included eluding a jealous predecessor king, Saul, determined to slay him, confronting warring Philistines bent on Israel’s destruction and having to defend his kingdom against his charismatic son, Absalom, who mounted a bloody rebellion. Despite these tribulations, the grateful heart of a shepherd boy turned king flows with musical psalms flowing with poetic praise and tributes. David’s Psalm 8, for example, expounds: “How majestic is Your name in all the earth…” and later ponders in powerful verse foreshadowing Shakespeare: “What is man that you are mindful of him…?”
In these dark and challenging times, it is just as important as it was 3,000 years ago to focus our poetry, short stories and novels on uplifting and inspirational images, figures and stories. This is especially so when too much of our nightly news and literature is focused on depressing stories and images bereft of hope and joy. That is one of the primary reasons why I authored and released through my publisher, The Year of the Bear, following entreaties from my then twelve-year-old twin sons.
The Year of the Bear is a heartwarming novel featuring a 13-year-old boy and an orphaned bear cub, who forge an unlikely friendship, battling through unforeseen trials and dangers in their quests to survive and transform into adulthood. Set in the ruggedly majestic mountain environs of Mount Katahdin, the novel ushers in a world so vivid that we see and feel its towering, snow-swept peaks and the pristine waters of Moosehead Lake teeming with life.
Winner of the 2023 Ames Awards for Young Adult Books and a Winner of the 2022 Firebird Awards in the Coming of Age category, The Year of the Bear has garnered effusive praise from a New York Times bestselling author, an acclaimed poet and numerous other authors, pastors, Board members and educators, who have described it as “a truly a powerful coming of age story” and “surprising page turner” that is “masterful”, “exhilarating”, “enthralling”, “inspiring, “cinematic”, “compelling and uplifting” and “a deeply moving story that will stay with you well past the last page.” As a poet, I likewise have endeavored to inspire and uplift thousands of poetry readers worldwide through my 330 poems that have been published in 69 literary journals and bestselling anthologies worldwide since 2019.