Shouts and Whispers: Twenty-One Writers Speak about Their Writing and Their Faith
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.
Jennifer L Holberg is Assistant Professor of English at Calvin College. She is the founding co-editor of the journal Pedagogy, and her non-fiction essay, "SWF Seeking King" was included in the Best Christian Writing 2004.
