When I read Fragments of Life, I was shaken to see so much of my own life expressed in his poetry. Even though his life has dealt with loss more than most of us, he has dared to share the starkness of grief so honestly that I have been deeply moved. In his writing I identify with similar experiences in my own life like the love of a wife, children, and searching for faith. I will read and reread this book for years to come. Ragan Courtney, poet, writer, lyricist for ""Celebrate Life"" and playwright for the Broadway play, The Earl of Ruston. He sings into the night sky and heralds what we might still love--some fragments of who we are, some returning wonderment of human attainment and despair, and our longed-for courage of yet another sacrifice bold enough to have its say. This song sets the stage for Al Staggs's Fragments of Life--a work of remarkable beauty and truth. Leona Stucky, author of The Fog of Faith: Surviving My Impotent God Al Staggs holds a BA from Hardin-Simmons University, a MRE from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a ThM from Harvard Divinity School, and a DMin degree from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. In the spring of 1983 he was honored as a Charles E. Merrill Fellow at Harvard with major emphasis in Applied Theology under direction of Harvey Cox. Al also completed a year of Clinical Pastoral Education at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. After serving as a pastor for 24 years, Al became a full-time performing artist. His repertoire of 12 programs includes characterizations of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Clarence Jordan, and Oscar Romero. He is the author of What Would Bonhoeffer Say?, A Pilgrim in Rome: Cries of Dissent, and another collection of poetry, In Mammon We Trust.