These poems have their origin in the seven years the author spent among the Walmajarri people of Western Australia. Unexpectedly, Marie Leonie Williams discovered a deep association there with her own Celtic people and traditions; and a sense of connection with land, people and ancestry that provided joy, love, acceptance, celebration and the desire to reflect this new experience in poetry. She readily confesses that the poems ‘sing from my soul!’ The poems are presented not simply as a record of her time in the Great Sandy Desert but as an invitation to discover the spirit of the land and to rejoice in the familiarity available to all who are open to those promptings in the journey of life.

Songs from My Soul was launched via Zoom on Tuesday 26 May. To view the recording, please click here

Marie Leonie Williams is North Queensland born and bred and belongs to a Celtic Family – seven/eighths Irish and one/eighth Welsh! She has been a Sister of Mercy for 67 years, spending many years in the PNG bush areas of the Sepik, working in education for children and to adults; and in ministry in the Great Sandy Desert, closely collaborating with the Indigenous population in all things life-giving. Marie is a member of the Conference of Spiritual Directors Australia and currently ministers part-time at the Townsville House of Prayer.