Shouts and Whispers: Twenty-One Writers Speak about Their Writing and Their Faith

by Jennifer L. Holberg

Overview

Flannery O'Connor once wrote that "to the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost-blind you draw large and startling figures." Some of the twenty-one well-known writers included in this book prefer to "shout," as O'Connor did, while others offer what Doris Betts calls "whispering hope."

Shouts and Whispers contains a fascinating array of reflections on topics surrounding the often-perilous intersection of writing and faith. The authors all agree that literature can help us to be more faithful, yet they approach the subject in ways as diverse as their biographies. Some, like Katherine Paterson and Frederick Buechner, propose models of how literature and belief can fruitfully intersect. Several authors offer insightful metaphors for the experience of doing faith-filled writing, while others speak of writing as finding hope in the midst of brokenness. Finally, in essays by Madeleine L'Engle, Thomas Lynch, and others, readers are encouraged to make the connection between writing and embodiment, translating words into actions.

While the essays, addresses, and interviews in Shouts and Whispers are by no means the final word, they will provoke rich and nuanced reflection on the dynamic relationship between faith and writing.

Interviews with:
Joy Kogawa
Anne Lamott
Kathleen Norris
Paul Schrader


Essays by
Doris Betts
Frederick Buechner
Will Campbell
Betty Smartt Carter
Elizabeth Dewberry
David James Duncan
Ron Hansen
Silas House
Jan Karon
Madeleine L'Engle
Bret Lott
Thomas Lynch
Katherine Paterson
James Calvin Schaap
Luci Shaw
Barbara Brown Taylor
Walter Wangerin Jr.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802832290
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	03/31/2006
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	271
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.64(d)

Table of Contents

	Introduction	xi
	Way Beyond Belief: The Call to Behold	1
	Image and Imagination	13
	The Eyes of the Heart	29
	Whispering Hope	35
	Why Have We Given Up the Ghost? Notes on Reclaiming Literary Fiction	43
	An Interview by Linda Buturian	61
	Glory into Glory	72
	Writing as Subversion	85
	Writing as an Act of Worship	95
	Faith and Fiction	105
	An Interview by Garry Wills	113
	The Miracle and the Myth	120
	Writing and Knowing	130
	No Bible-Beating Allowed	152
	An Interview by Henry Baron	162
	Tired of Victory, Bored by Defeat: Restoring Proper Sadness to Christian Art	172
	The Collision of Faith and Fiction: Cleaning Up the Wreckage	183
	An Interview by Linda Buturian	194
	Reversing Entropy	201
	The Cosmic Questions	214
	Faith and Fashion Blunders: Shifting Metaphors of Mortality	225
	Making Meaning	240
	Acknowledgments	256

Editorial Reviews

Episcopal Life
"There is wisdom here to be pondered and perhaps adopted."

Sojourners
"'Shouts and Whispers is for those inclined toward the writing life. . . The writers differ on many points, [but agree] that literature can help us to be more faithful."

Publishers Weekly Starred Review
"This collection should be required study for writers of faith and their readers."

The Covenanter Witness
"No two writers take the same approach, and therein lies one of the strengths of this collection. Readers will certainly not agree with every view expressed, either literary or theological, but anyone with an interest in relating Christian faith and creativity will find much to stimulate thought, and perhaps even action."

From the Publisher

What does it mean to be a writer working in a context of faith? Answers to this question and others are the crux of this meaty, thoughtful volume of essays edited from speeches and interviews at the biennial Calvin Festival of Faith and Writing. As with most collections, there is some unevenness but also welcome diversity. The essays range from the gentle simplicity of Jan Karon to David James Duncan's assertion that when writing and faith collide, we'll need to find ways to clean up the "wreckage." Katherine Paterson deservedly gets two chapters; Madeleine L'Engle offers an autobiographical look at writing fiction; and literary novelist Bret Lott is unabashedly evangelical. It's hard to go wrong with essays from the esteemed Frederick Buechner, Ron Hansen (who remarks on the "sabotage of the fictional dream by forcing one's characters to perform the role of mouthpieces"), Elizabeth Dewberry or the delightful Thomas Lynch. There are also interviews with Anne Lamott and Kathleen Norris, and Garry Wills's excellent conversation with screenplay writer and film director Paul Schrader. This collection should be required study for writers of faith and their readers. (June) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly