Believe to See

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