A Rebellion of Care: Poet David Gate on Words as a Lifeline During Difficult Times

Jen has been a quiet superfan of David Gate ever since discovering one of his poems on Instagram and instantly texting it to six friends. A British-born poet, writer, and visual artist, David explores themes of care, community, and spiritual resilience. Today, he joins Jen and Amy to talk about his latest work, A Rebellion of Care—a powerful blend of essays and poetry rooted in tenderness, authenticity, and resistance. From writing to flour milling and homesteading, David’s life is a living practice of nurturing both self and community with intention.

Key highlights from this conversation include:

• How radical tenderness can be an act of resistance

• Why are many people living radicalized lives without realizing it, and often for things they don't truly care about

• How homesteading is a rebellion against modern food practices

• Reimagining masculinity and what it could look like in a better world

• Building community and friendship as a vital source of joy and support in life

• How anger and joy are companion emotions

• The sacredness of everyday practices

Thought-provoking Quotes:

• “I did not want to have an email job and I did not want to be in meetings that could have been emails. I did not want to be on Slack. I just didn't want that to be what I was spending my time doing. I loved caring for people, and I loved creating and writing, and I got to do that within the church world.” – David Gate

• “It's just very hard not to be cynical about everything and what I found was that I was cynical because I really, really cared. And, because I really, really cared, everything was just so overwhelming, and the easiest way to deal with that was to shut down and be cynical and be snarky. But, I realized that I had to press through and embrace what was behind that cynicism. so I had to really embrace my own earnestness and my own care in the world and concentrate on what I wanted to build rather than what I wanted to tear down.” – David Gate

• “It’s a constant battle to speak the truth. Even things we all know It can be difficult to say, if it's not something that is normally said, and it's not something that is normally expressed, so you have to fight for that and you have to fight for your experience of the truth. You have to fight for your story. You have to fight for all of that.” – David Gate

• “I think it's very, very difficult for men to reach for emotional honesty because everything tells you that you're failing if you do that. But it's the most important work right now. And so much of what men are actually looking for in this world, intimacy, a sense of place, a sense of belonging, companionship, adventure, excitement, is on the other side of reaching for that emotional honesty.” – David Gate

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• A Rebellion of Care: Poems and Essays by David Gate - https://amzn.to/4jjf87X

• Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand by Jeff Chu - https://amzn.to/3GnS21w

• Cultivating Belonging and Evolving Faith with Jeff Chu - https://jenhatmaker.com/podcasts/series-64/cultivating-belonging-and-evolving-faith-with-jeff-chu/

• Sarah Bessey - https://www.sarahbessey.com/

• Armando Veve, Illustrator - https://www.instagram.com/armandoveve/