The Hearth

An Introduction and Table of Contents

Jun 28, 2026

WELCOME

Mae govannen, and wæs þu hāl! Welcome, brothers and sisters - fellow sojourners - to the digital hall of Hammer Cross & Quill! My name is Alexander Birch, and as long as you’re a guest at this hearth, I shall be your humble host. So pull up a chair, warm yourself by the proverbial fire, and make merry your hearts with the good wine of poetry.

Who am I?

I’m a child of the 90’s, brought up on street-lamp curfews, dial-up internet, and Evangelical youth group games. I have been inspired and shaped by writers the likes of Rich Mullins, JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Charles Dickens, and, of course, the Holy Scripture.

I am a carpenter by trade, and by high vocation: a husband of a beautiful and godly wife, and a father of three wonderful children. I’m a lover of Christ, a lay reader of the Word, and an advocate for the unity of the Church.

Avocationally, I am a poet, and (Lord willing) in time a teller of tales. I am enamoured of the True, the Beautiful, and the Trustworthy, and seek to set my mind and poetry on these things, to orient myself and others toward that which is highest and noblest, pointing like an arrow heavenward.

Photo credit goes to my beautiful wife.

What is Hammer Cross & Quill?

With this publication, I seek to create a space for incorporating my creative passion of writing in with the other areas of my life: work, family, and faith. For now, I am the sole author, but with time, who knows? There may be guests authors who join me!

What to Expect

Form

My writing can be broadly categorized in four distinct groups: Poetry, Songs, Prayers, and Reflections, and cover topics of daily life, personal musings, liturgy, and theology. Which category an article falls under will be indicated in its subtitle, and subsequently set under its proper heading in the Table of Contents below, for quick reference. In time, I will likely add a “prose narrative” section to the list, as I have many such projects in mind as well.

Poetry

Poetry was my first love in writing. I have been writing poetry in some form since grade school, but became consistent in its pursuit circa 2009, around the time I graduated high-school. My style is generally eclectic, drawing on many different forms that have inspired me. Consequently, you can expect a large variety in my writing.

Songs

Though I have never made it beyond “dabbling” with musical instruments, I have written many lyrics for songs. You can expect to see some of the lyrics scattered throughout my published articles.

Prayers

Recently I have taken to composing prayers, largely inspired by the Book of Common Prayer’s Collects, as well as the many prayers in the Scriptures, and recorded of the Saints. These I publish first as “notes,” and will periodically compile them into articles.

Reflections

As I am wont to be an external thinker, I find writing the best way to consolidate and organize my thoughts, that I may better know myself and what I believe. The result will often be put into a series of articles I have dubbed Reflections from Under the Blue-Collar. These will range in topic from personal thoughts on daily life, social dilemmas, and theological meditations.

Frequency

I currently have a pretty consistent publishing schedule. Wednesday mornings I publish poems and songs pulled from the reservoir of poetic works which I have gathered over many years of writing, in no particular order. Call it “poem roulette.” This will continue, Lord willing, until the reservoir is drained, or new springs open up.

On Fridays, as I am able, I endeavour to publish new works, long-form/narrative poetry, reflections, and general prose. This will be less consistent, as the time to write is a scarce commodity in this season of my life.

What’s the Cost?

Hammer Cross & Quill is, as long as the Lord wills, an avocational labour of love. And free! I do not currently have paid subscriptions enabled, as I cannot guarantee the consistency I would feel obligated to fulfill, and even if I do someday, said subscriptions will only be for those generous souls who want to support my work monetarily. My commitment is that nothing I publish here on SubStack will ever be put behind a paywall. If I ever publish a physical book, that may be a different story - but then, it won’t likely be published in its entirety here anyway.

If someone really wants to support me financially, I have a “Buy Me a Coffee” account, which I have dubbed my “Bourbon and Books Fund” (I can’t resist a good alliteration). But truly, the best support you can give is to read, like, comment, restack (if you think I’ve deserved it), and subscribe! Your engagement is the best encouragement I could receive, and is never taken for granted. If you choose to throw me a couple dollars in addition, know that I am beyond grateful! You are under no compulsion, and your generosity is mind-blowing.

How your generosity will be used:

10% will be given to the church; 30% I will reserve for putting back into the SubStack community (primarily in the form of subscriptions and the like); the remaining 60% will be used to acquire such things as are useful for my continued habit of writing. Bourbon and books. (Strictly speaking, I don’t actually drink much bourbon while writing, since most of my writing is done piece-meal throughout the day, but I like bourbon, and it was a perfect alliteration with books.)

Bourbon and Book Fund