Believe To See

Nicholas Kotar joins Matt at the Anselm Society digital pub table to discuss the origins of so many of the fairy tales and folk stories we know and love. But, the versions of the stories that we know are not necessarily the "original" versions of the stories. Nicholas harnesses his love for stories, and in particular his enviable knowledge of Russian fairy stories, to shed some light on the origins and significance of those tales.   Find out more about Nicholas and his work at NicholasKotar.com.

Anyone who writes knows that "voice" is important—even essential. Writers may be said to have a strong voice, or a unique voice, but what, exactly, is "voice?" Matt, Mandy, and Evangeline try to define what "voice" is (and Evangeline claims that she's never read a book in her life).

UFOs and aliens are in the news... again. Reports of aliens are nothing new. They go back at least to the second century, with the satirical work called "True History" by Lucian of Samosata. Since H.G. Well's "The War of the Worlds" we as a society have seemed to have been obsessed with alien stories ever since. Matt, Evangeline, and Christina talk about how alien stories have captured the modern imagination and (according to Matt, at least) fall into 3 different categories. 

Matt sits down at the Anselm digital pub with children’s author Alice Faye Duncan to talk about her new book and the history and importance of spirituals.   Find out more about Alice and her new book, This Train is Bound for Glory, at https://alicefayeduncan.com/

What is up with all the bad boys in literature? Why have girls throughout the centuries fallen for bad boys? Matt, Mandy, and Evangeline try to untangle the conundrum of the appeal of literary bad boys.

Matt, Mandy, and Evangeline discuss the importance of "voice" in writing stories.

Author and singer-songwriter Andrew Peterson joins Matt and Christina at the Anslem Society digital pub table to talk about Andrew’s creative process and his Wingfeather saga books.

How do you approach creating a story when it seems too big for you? Matt and Mandy welcome fellow guild member, Gianna Soderstrom, to the Anselm Society digital pub to talk about what to do with a spark of inspiration that seems too big to tackle.

Matt makes the case that the life and story of C.S. Lewis are just as interesting as Lewis's writings. Joining Matt and Mandy at the Anslem digital pub table is Terry Glaspey to help Matt make his point by describing how C.S. Lewis's intellect and imagination worked together to bring Christianity alive for so many. Find Terry's recent biography of Lewis at www.moodypublishers.com/not-a-tame-lion. Find out more about Terry and his writing at www.terryglaspey.com, where Terry talks about creativity, spirituality, and life.

Matt and Mandy talk with Anselm Society Arts Guild member Jane Scharl, a poet and playwright. They discuss Jane's recently published and produced play, an imaginative encounter between St. Ignatius of Loyola, John Calvin, and François Rabelais.

Evangeline and her brother, Dr. John Case Tompkins, voyage from the Emerald Isle to Middle Earth via J.R.R. Tolkien’s obscure poem “The Death of Saint Brendan.”      

Evangeline and Mandy sit down at the digital pub table to interview KJ Ramsey—author, artist, and trauma-informed therapist. KJ discusses how her art and recent book of prayers and poems has been influenced by her own story and practice as a trauma-informed therapist. Kj and the cohosts also discuss how grief can be a gateway that helps us connect our own stories to the Great Story. Find KJ at www.kjramsey.com and The Book of Common Courage at BookOfCommonCourage.com 

Mandy and Evangeline talk with author and pastor Eric Schumacher about his various projects (fiction, nonfiction, devotional, musical, and more). The stories behind his work share a common theme: the artist’s search for truth, clarity, and healing. 

You cannot have a story without a setting. Whether it's New England or some planet on the other side of the galaxy, a story needs to happen somewhere. Some stories take place within a single apartment, or on a single park bench. But some stories add details to the setting – sometimes a lot of details. This whole process is called worldbuilding, an essential part of much of storytelling. What can worldbuilding add to a story? What happens when it is done well? What about when it is not done well? The Believe to See cohosts invite Elisa Lambert, the Anselm Arts Guild's resident worldbuilding expert, to discuss worldbuilding.

We all know the powers of words, written and spoken. We know that they contain a power so immense that God himself refers to himself as the Word in scripture. But, images speak too - very, very powerfully. This is why small children’s literature most often includes illustrations alongside text. Together, these two powerful methods of learning ignite the imagination of children in extraordinary ways. So, what should we do with the now-very-popular wordless picture books? Why should we invest in wordless picture books? Is it a waste of time, talents, and resources? Christina, Matt, and Mandy sit down to discuss.

Matt, Mandy, and Christina sit down at the digital pub table to discuss Susanna Clarke's 2020 novel, Piranesi.

Matt and Christina sit down with SD Smith, author of the popular Green Ember series, and JC Smith to talk about what it's like to write your first successful story. They discuss SD and JC's new book, Jack Zulu and the Waylander's Key.

Musician Brian Wight joins the table to discuss his journey through Nashville’s music scene. He tells the story of how he went from a teenage musician living out of his car to a successful musician and producer. He also shares his compulsion to compose music, and discusses why he’d still create if he was alone in the wilderness.

Matt describes January as "that special type of year where a stressed out person's fancy turn to thoughts of resolutions," and Matt, Mandy, and Christina launch into a discussion about how it seems that in all good stories, at some point, a character makes a resolution and we need to make resolutions in our own stories. The cohosts discuss how resolutions are used in some of our favorite stories and why they're so important in the stories of our own lives.

Justin Gerhardt’s storytelling project Holy Ghost Stories embodies the conviction that “Christians have the best stories. We should make the best art.” Justin made the journey from pastor to podcaster compelled by the conviction that there are some stories in the Bible that don’t need to be preached, they just need to be told. Justin runs against the grain of how Christian culture often handles the Bible by bringing biblical stories to life through powerful, imaginative storytelling, hoping to bring his listeners into an encounter with God that turns stories into worship. Justin sat down at the virtual pub table with Matt and Evangeline to discuss his journey of bringing great storytelling together with the Great Story. Holy Ghost Stories Season 4 releases on January 9th! Listen to the new season at https://www.holyghoststories.org/listen Learn more about Justin and his work at https://www.hazefirestudios.com/