
Believe to See
The podcast of the Anselm Society's Arts Guild. Join host Matt Mellema and a rotation of guests at the digital pub table for conversations about faith and storytelling. “Some things have to be believed to be seen." -Madeleine L'Engle
Latest episodes

Sep 24, 2022 • 55min
Interview: The Making of an Audio Drama with The Merry Beggars
Matt sits down with Peter Atkinson and Kiley Hatch of the Merry Beggars to talk about the making of their 21-part radio drama On the Night Train. Writer Kiley talks about the intricacies of structuring a large and complex story. Producer Peter shares some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into planning and creating a radio drama and the ways writing a good story is the same no matter the medium. Learn more about On the Night Train at https://www.onthenighttrain.com/ Learn more about The Merry Beggars at https://themerrybeggars.com/

Sep 18, 2022 • 46min
Interview: Making Your Home an Outpost of Grace and Beauty with Elyce Westby
Cohost of Believe to See Christina Brown sits down with fellow Anselm Arts Guild member Elyce Westby to talk about the importance of cultivating a narrative of beauty in your home. They discuss the "hidden art of the everyday," how beauty can direct our souls towards God, and how our homes can be outposts of grace and beauty.

Sep 10, 2022 • 52min
Interview: Nicole Beck on Portraiture
What’s in a face? What’s in a painting of a face that isn’t in a photograph? Nicole Beck, a portraiture artist based in Colorado Springs, sits down with Matt and Christina to talk about why she is drawn to painting faces, how she learned to paint, and the special significance that can be found in an image of a person’s face. You can find more of Nicole’s work at nicolebeckstudio.com. Nicole Beck is the featured visual artist for the Anselm Society’s 2022 Imagination Redeemed Conference at Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs, September 29th-October 1st. You can learn more about the imagination Redeemed Conference at imaginationredeemed.com, and you can purchase tickets for the conference here through September 21st.

Sep 2, 2022 • 56min
Pub Night: The Golden Key
At the Anselm Society's July Pub Night, Christina presents her retelling of George MacDonald's story The Golden Key. Afterwards, Christina and Matt discuss the story before a live audience.

Aug 26, 2022 • 53min
Interview: Story, Trauma, and Faith with Sam Jolman
Matt and Believe to See's producer, Jesse Childress, sit down with Sam Jolman to talk about how our relationships, life experiences, and trauma can shape our imaginations. Sam shares why he is a narrative trauma therapist and why he believes stories are containers of meaning. Find Sam's ebook here: http://www.samjolman.com/blog/

Aug 19, 2022 • 49min
Interview: Aaron Damiani on Deconstruction and Liturgical Practices
Matt sits down at the digital pub table with guest Aaron Damiani, an Anglican pastor in Chicago, to talk about how things like deconstruction and liturgies fit into God's story and how they might even be able to help us understand God's story and our own stories a little better. Aaron shares some of his own story, which he shares in his most recent book, Earth Filled With Heaven. Earth Filled with Heaven, by Aaron Damiani: https://www.moodypublishers.com/earth-filled-with-heaven/

Aug 12, 2022 • 57min
It's Never Too Late for Art
Is anyone too old to create art? What about too young? Or maybe just too untalented? Matt, Mandy, and Evangeline sit down to discuss who, if anyone, shouldn't be creating art. They also recall their own artistic endeavors as youngsters and bring up artistic mediums they want to try.

Aug 8, 2022 • 51min
Interview: Teaching Drama with Nancy Holaday
Mandy and Evangeline sit down at Anselm's digital pub table to talk with Mandy's long-time friend Nancy about her experience as a drama teacher. Nancy waxes eloquent about the value of performing Shakespeare, her aversion to changing dialogue without the playwright's permission, and shares her experience teaching Shakespeare to inmates in a state prison.

Jul 16, 2022 • 1h 24min
Heraldry: Story through Symbols
For longer than he'd care to admit, Matt has been designing an official coat of arms for the Anselm Society Arts Guild. After explaining the heraldic creatures he chose, he discusses the history and purpose of heraldry with Mandy and Christina. The three of them explore the ways that heraldry can describe what the Arts Guild is, where it came from, and what it aspires to be.

Jul 8, 2022 • 1h 5min
Wanting to Doubt Shakespeare
For centuries, Shakespeare has been widely accepted as the greatest writer in our language's history. For much of that time, maverick thinkers have argued that William Shakespeare didn't actually write his plays. One of those maverick thinkers is Mandy’s daughter, Bethany. She joins the table for a no-holds-barred debate with Matt about the authorship of Shakespeare. After the dust settles, the hosts explore the reasons why so many people feel compelled to doubt Shakespeare.