The Festival of Faith & Writing: Day 2

I can't imagine a better writing/book festival for Christians than Calvin College's Festival of Faith and Writing. It gives you a fabulous idea on what is going on in the world of Christian writing and writers who are Christian, as well as what's coming in the next year. More importantly, there's so many writing areas covered (fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, preaching) that you're hard-pressed not to find sessions that minister directly to you.

They do a good job of mixing lectures, workshops, specific instruction, and general guidelines to minister to your heart and mind. Now, the focus is on "faith in writing" so sometimes that means unorthodox believers are speaking and sometimes its atheists who include believers in their stories and investigations. The point is in how others see and interpret us. Sometimes it's impressive, sometimes it disappointing and unfair, but it's always respectful.

Here's some highlights, w/more tomorrow. (Sadly, my camera isn't working right, so no pix yet.)

* Eugene Peterson rocked the house with this morning's lecture on "Poet and Pastor on Patmos," by explaining how his "Badlands" period is what turned him into a writer and a pastor.

* One author on "Healing Prayer" said there's a difference between God healing us and God curing a sickness. More than a cure, God wants us healed, and that often means overcoming unforgiveness.

* Poet/essayist/editor Christian Wiman shared a profound essay on modern anxiety, how everyone worries about being overwhelmed, then discusses every solution but God. Then said, "Christ is not an answer, but a means to exist." Later, on the presence of God, he said, "It's not difficult to hear the music, but it's difficult to hear as music." I'm buying his new book, which comes out in November.

* Wally Lamb (She's Come Undone) was a disappointment. Just kind of did a "Here's my story with some readings in between" talk.

* Image Journal threw a party for attendees tonight to acknowledge 20 years of publication.

* Screenwriter Barbara Nicolosi talked about the power of a single image, expertly making the case of stories living and dying by the specific perfect image to expound a scene.

* Novelist Brady Udall (The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint) decried how most academics loved "art" but disliked "structure." Art is for the individual. Structure (or craft) is by the community, and can be taught. In one of his novel-writing classes, he starts students on the pulpiest romances and crime thrillers before working themselves across the spectrum to the "most literary" of novels. What students come to realize is the underlying structure on all of these books is nearly identical. It's all in how you build on it.

Yeah, it was that good.

I've had one disappointing class (there's one at every conference), and an overwhelming number of idea-cramming, specific-giving, spirit-building sessions that are feeding my soul.

Start making plans for the next Festival in April, 2012.