Believe To See

Sometimes, a beloved book or movie from childhood means just as much to you as an adult. Other times, going back to childhood stories makes you cringe. Why are some children's stories timeless, while others are time-bound? And can knowing the difference inform the stories we share with the kids in our lives? To answer these questions, Matthew goes to a trusted authority on children's stories: his wife, Danielle.

At the Anselm Society's May Pub Night, author Leslie Bustard presents her retelling of JRR Tolkien's story Smith of Wooton Major. Later, Leslie and Matt discuss the story's theme of enchantment.

Matthew Clark is both a singer/songwriter, and an Anselm Society Advisor. He joins the table to talk about his brand-new project: Only the Lover Sings. It's both an album and a book of essays, all centered around the woman at the well. Matthew shares how this story inspired the project, and why it has captured his imagination.

We talk all the time about Faerie Stories (Fairy Stories? Faeree Stories?). But what are they? The hosts discuss the elements of proper Faerie stories, as well as the value of Faerie for Christians. Then our resident Faerie expert, Evangeline, evaluates popular "Fairy Stories" to determine: is it Fae, or not Fae?

Our friends at Bandersnatch Books stop by the table to share their upcoming project: Bandersnatch Classics. They're taking underappreciated classics in the public domain, and giving them the beautiful reprinting they deserve. The Bandersnatch team discusses the value of reading old novels, and the enduring appeal of their first Bandersnatch Classic: Understood Betsy.

Over the centuries, lots of artists have tried to portray heaven. Many (most?) have failed. What's the best way to tell the story of heaven? Is there even an effective way? The co-hosts examine examples of heaven in art to find out.

At the Anselm Society's April Pub Night, Anselm's Elizabeth Bristol Clayton presents her retelling of The Secret Garden. Later, Elizabeth and Matt discuss the story's theme of resurrection.

When an imagined world grows successful enough, other storytellers create their own stories in it. Some are great. Some are...not so much. The hosts share their favorite examples of stories told within other artists' stories, as well as the characterstics that make them successful.

Education expert Kreigh Knerr is on the Catherine Project's board of advisors. He joins the pub table to discuss the Catherine Project's innovative approach to education. They've launched a wide selection of Great Books reading groups taught by renowned scholars--for free! Kreigh explains how the Catherine Project helps students embrace their role as sub-creators. He also tells the listeners how they can enroll in the Catherine Project's next slate of courses.

Everyone has times when they need to come up with a creative new idea. But how do you do that? The hosts discuss different ways to help spark creativity. They also share stories of how famous artists got their best ideas. 

Anselm potter Nancy Soderstrom joins the table to talk about pottery, watercolors, and COVID. A talented potter, Nancy found herself cut off from her pottery studio because of COVID. So she took up watercolors and--surprise!--became good at that too. Nancy shares her approaches to art and prayer, and how they both encouraged her to keep creating beauty in difficult times.

At the Anselm Society's March Pub Night, our own Evangeline Denmark presents her retelling of the legend of St. Brigid's Cloak. Later, Evangeline and Matt discuss St. Brigid's role in both Irish Christianity and Irish mythology, and the best ways to approach these saintly stories.

Photographer Elizabeth Bristol Clayton joins the table to talk all things photographry. She explains how to approach the world like a photographer, and how to plan a fine art piece. She even gives Matt and Mandy advice for taking iPhone pictures that actually look good.

Are short stories just tiny novels, or are they a whole different medium? Elizabeth Childs is the perfect author to ask. She's regularly publishing short stories while working on her novel. She joins the table to discuss the many ways that short stories differ from novels, and the qualities to look for in effective short stories.

Matt waxes poetic about two of his favorite things: detective fiction, and rules. Mandy and Elizabeth Childs join him in discussing how rules make detective fiction worth reading. They also explore the ways that rules can make any work of literature more effective.

Artists have to face rejection and failure all the time. Seriously: ALL. THE. TIME. Luckily, the hosts are all experts in getting their art rejected. They discuss the healthy ways to deal with failure, and the keys to distinguishing between helpful and unhelpful feedback. As an added bonus, they also put together a points system to calculate which Anselm member has scored the most "failure points."

What should we make of RPG's like Dungeons and Dragons? Are they an important storytelling vehicle, or a confusing waste of time? Dr. John Case Tompkins joins the table to dicuss. He's a PhD in English Literature, and an RPG super fan. He's also Evangeline's brother. Can he finally win his sister into the RPG community? Listen to find out!

Believe to See is back from its semi-intentional hiatus, and ready for more raucous conversations on the arts and faith. The hosts explain the podcast's new story-based emphasis, and analyze the stories that shaped them in the past year.

After making excuses for the semi-intentional hiatus, Matt explains the show's big plans for 2022.

Daniel Silliman is Chistianity Today's news editor. He joins the table to discuss his new book, Reading Evangelicals. This book explores evangelical identity by looking closely at five bestsellers--Love Comes Softly, This Present Darkness, Left Behind, The Shunning, and The Shack. Silliman discusses why these books resonated with so many evangelicals, and how they shaped American evangelicalism.