Thank You of the Week
Linda Wagner has inspired a large crowd of writers through her work at the annual Seattle Pacific University writers' conference.
She changed my life one day, in 1994, when I was working in the Humanities office at SPU. She asked if the rumors were true, that I was writing science fiction and fantasy. When I said, yes, she told me she wanted to start a reading and critique group for Christian writers of sci-fi and fantasy. That grew into a rewarding, close-knit group of writers who continued to meet regularly until just last year, when some in the group were called to other places and responsibilities.
But soon after it started, Linda invited me to join her and another mutual friend, Beth Harris (whose turn in this blog will someday come), in teaming up with a rowdy band of Christian artists to start Promontory Artists' Association. Over the years between 1994 and now, Promontory has produced a magazine called The Crossing; hosted a long list of events organized to encourage, challenge, and inspire artists; and hosted the Web site promontoryartists.org. It was there that I started Looking Closer, which was the path that led me eventually to my work with Christianity Today.
Because of Linda's vision and dedication, a whole world of artists, both here in Seattle and out there in cyberspace, have been challenged and inspired.
This year, Linda is stepping down from her work at the SPU writer's conference. But her work with Promontory continues. She recently helped organize an evening of looking closely at the films of master filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski, which was a great success.
I am confident that the moment Linda stopped and inquired about my writing was one of those moments when God granted me one of the greatest blessings I've known. Her friendship and care for me as an artist and as a writer about art have been fuel for my journey and protection for my work. I know she has been just such a blessing for many more besides.
Thank you, Linda, for all of your support, time, editing, counsel, and inspiration over the last decade. And thank you for being such a dedicated supporter for the Looking Closer endeavors over the past several years.
Yet Another Gaping Hole in The Da Vinci Code
"But it's fiction!" people keep saying to me, when I criticize The Da Vinci Code or Phillip Pullman's The Golden Compass. "Why are you taking it so seriously?"
Because most people are inclined to find fault with Christianity, and are quick to seize upon any detail they can use in order to sound educated in their critique of the faith. Most people haven't really read the Bible, much less know anything about its history. Thus, when a conspiracy theorist like Dan Brown comes along with a novel in which characters spell out the history of the Bible, the reader is inclined to accept what they read... especially if it arms them with an argument that backs up what they WANT to believe.
Dan Brown is welcome to fictionalize whatever he likes. Unfortunately, he's also going around in interviews claiming his fiction is based on fact. In fact, his theories are about as secure as a submarine with screen doors. As Margaret Mitchell writes, "A 'black light' edition of The Da Vinci Code would ... be unnecessary if readers would simply take the book as fiction. But there is an obstacle: the first page of the book reads, under the bold print headline 'Fact': 'all descriptions of ...documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.'"
Here's just one of the most recent responses to Brown's claims, shooting holes in his misleading Code.
If you want more of the same, click here.
Here's another one, from the University of Chicago.
Here's a thorough critique from a Catholic journalist.
Sticking Up for Them Cussin' Characters
When I post a review recommending a film that includes harsh language, I almost always hear from somebody somewhere who is aghast that I, a Christian film reviewer, would approve of anything that includes profanity...Read more
Movies That Buck the Trend
Here's a new interview with Barbara Nicolosi, head of Act One: Writing for Hollywood.
Get a load of this quote:Read more
Amid the 25-Minute Ovation, a Surprising Criticism
While it's true that Michael Moore received an 25-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival for his Dubya-bashing film Farenheit 911, here's an interesting detail, courtesy of IMDB.com:
Legendary French director Jean-Luc Godard became one of the few persons in attendance at the Cannes Film Festival who had negative things to say about Michael Moore's controversial Fahrenheit 9/11 film (although he admitted that he had not seen it). Godard, who described Moore as "halfway intelligent," told reporters that films like Fahrenheit "help Bush more than harm him ... in a very vicious way that [directors like Moore] are not conscious of." Bush, he said, "is less stupid than [Moore] thinks."
Godard is visiting Cannes to support his latest film, Our Music, which is being screened outside of the competition. Like Moore's film, Our Music explores the conscience of nations in conflict. At one point in his news conference, he invited Olivier Derousseau, a leader of the part-time actors and technicians who have been staging a demonstration at the festival to protest cuts in unemployment benefits, to say a few words to the reporters.
What Do Poetry and Police Brutality Have In Common?
Today, these words opened Nicole Brodeur's column in The Seattle Times:Read more
Looking for Your Dream Job in the Arts?
Pray.
Work hard.
Strive for excellence.
Be vigilant.Read more
Your Chance to Be a Mysterious Stranger
I stumbled across this quip by a friend of mine, Jessica Poundstone, in her blog, and I can't get the idea out of my head. It's got a sort of Amelie-esque appeal to it...Read more