Habits

Habits:
100-word stories

by Susan Sink

Habits is a collection of 100-word stories about nuns in America in the twentieth century. The source material is primarily the oral histories and stories of the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota. Int he 1950s, at more than 1,250 Sisters, they were the largest Benedictine order in the world.

These pieces, somewhere between poetry and prose, explore their daily lives of work, prayer and life in community.

To order the book, click here to go to the books page on this site. Please order online directly from lulu.com or the author. The book is also available at the CSB/SJU bookstore, Whitby Gift Shop and Gallery, St. Cloud Bookshop, Good Books and Gifts in Little Falls, Minnesota, and Howard Street Books in Hibbing, Minnesota.

Press for Habits

photo by Kai Teoh for the St. Cloud Times

Susan Sink on “In Good Faith” weekly podcast from http://anunslife.org on Wednesday, May 8, 2013 is now available. Click here for the podcast.

In Good Faith is a live, interview-style podcast exploring faith in everyday life and how we can live into our calling in life. Our guest is writer and poet Susan Sink who authored the books Habits, a collection of 100-word stories about nuns, and The Art of the Saint John’s Bible: A Reader’s Guide. The podcast goes from 6 – 7 pm CT on Wednesday, May 8.

“Tiniest of stories say much about St. Ben’s Sisters”
by Frank Lee/St. Cloud Times as adapted by the Associated Press. November 25, 2012
Click here to read the story on Minnesota Public Radio News page.
Click here to read the story on the Associated Press website.

“A Peek into Catholic Sisters’ Lives”
by Bob Zyskowski, Catholichotdish.com for the Catholic Spirit
St. Paul diocesan newspaper blog
The Visitor, St. Cloud diocesan newspaper
Click here to read the story on the blog.

Pick up “Habits” by Susan Sink for your holiday reading
by Karol Bartlett for “A nun’s life” blog. November 26, 2012
Click here to read the story on the blog.

Poet chronicles lives of St. Ben Sisters in 100-word stories
by Taleiza Calloway for St. Joseph Newsleader
Click here to read the story.

What people are saying about Habits:

 This morning, I read an article about the book that was published by the St. Cloud Times and republished in the Duluth News Tribune, where I saw it.
 I’m an atheist and view religion as a destructive mental virus, but I value community, commitment, and great writing.  This book emphasizes all three of those values.  
 This is great writing! The stories drove me to tears and now have made me late for work. Plus, I now feel obligated to buy it and tell a friend who is a professional writer, or maybe be a copy for him too.
 Thank you.
–Steven Carter, Duluth

Am still enjoying reading the book.  Once you begin it’s hard to put it down
probably because of the succinctness and clarity of the writing.  The 100 word stories in sisters’ own voices give the stories the kind of authenticity and immediacy  that comes from  real voices speaking about specific life experiences.
Thank you for writing the book, Susan.
— Sister Katherine Kraft
(Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict)

A series of vignettes as powerful as they are poignant.  Written by a fellow scholar at the Collegeville Institute.  Absolutely worth a read if you’re interested in nuns, social justice, Central Minnesota–and exceedingly poetic prose.
–Ann Marie Stock, Professor of Hispanic Studies & Film Studies, College of William and Mary

Read the Stories:

Some of the stories in the book are available on the “Stories” page on the book’s Facebook page: http://facebook.com/100wordhabits.

Many of the stories can be read online in a collection by Susan Sink on cowbird.com.
Click here to go to the collection on Cowbird. See all Susan’s stories on cowbird here.

I am available for readings and book-signings. Please contact me directly at susanmsink@gmail.com.