Jonathan and Kristy talk about her new book Papa Put a Man on the Moon (written in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the moon landing), the process of writing and publishing picture books, the difference between “sweetie pies” and “smart alecks” in character arcs, and her own family’s proximity to the moon landing itself.

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Jonathan and Helena (author of the Shiloh series) talk about balancing affirmation with criticism, the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset, and the importance of maintaining sensitivity to the world.

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Jonathan and Doug discuss the search for “a word that rhymes with everything” and how this search characterizes Doug’s writing process aesthetically, morally, and theologically.

Doug McKelvey is the author of Every Moment Holy, a book of liturgies for everyday moments in life. 

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Jonathan and Russ go back and forth about the fine line between fact and fiction, the fallibility of human memory, and where truth comes from, specifically as these issues pertain to Russ’s memoir Struck.

Show Notes:

• This conversation starts with a quotation from Annie Dillard. It comes from the book Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of Memoir (edited by William Zinsser).
• Russ mentioned the “Free Brian Williams” episode of Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast Revisionist History.
• Russ mentioned Jonathan’s memoir, “Drunk Mailman.” Here’s the link.

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Jonathan Rogers interviews Claire Gibson about her new book Beyond the Point, befriending our inner critics, writing as service, and the landscape of storytelling—and at the end, she even asks Jonathan a few questions.

Jonathan Rogers interviews Christopher Williams about his new concept album, We Will Remember, based on the book of Joel. As Jonathan says, “You’ve never heard a better concept album based on a minor prophet.” They discuss their love-hate relationships with deadlines, the difference between writing a song and writing a novel, and what the book of Joel has to say to today’s church.

Jonathan Rogers and Jennifer Trafton discuss the vital role of play in creativity, the tricky business of self-forgetfulness, and how to recover and retain our childhood loves even in the throes of adulthood.

Books mentioned in this episode
Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing.
Susan Wooldridge, Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words.

Jonathan Rogers and Pete Peterson discuss playwriting, the secrets to a compelling story, and Pete’s upcoming stage adaptation of Corrie ten Boom’s The Hiding Place.

Katy Bowser Hutson shares about her chapbook Now I Lay Me Down to Fight, the surprisingly motivating force of mortality, and how the “pre-verbal” component of trauma can be profoundly expressed through the verbal medium of poems.