besixdouze

Hi, everyone:

I recently graduated with my Master of Divinity degree in theological and ministerial studies from Vanderbilt University. I feel called to two paths--the writing life and the life of ministry--and I hope I can find a career at the intersection of both.

I am justice oriented and want to be an agent of change in the world, especially in ways that lift up the poor, marginalized and oppressed.

I also want to write. Though I hope to write books for adults, I'm most interested currently in writing books for young people. I've always wanted to offer a "progressive Christian response" to the Chronicles of Narnia and the His Dark Materials trilogy. I have a love/hate relationship with Lewis. It's clear to me why he is such an influential figure in Christianity (particularly Anglicanism of which I am a part) but his treatment of women and Middle Eastern peoples in his writing leaves me disheartened. However, I'm also wary of new atheist types who want to reject religion wholly by portraying all religion as the kind you see broadcasted by the hateful, prejudiced voices on the fringes.

My greatest weakness is my lack of self-confidence. Writing is my biggest dream and as such my fear of failing at it is almost overwhelming. If I can even get started, I can barely look at my own work long enough to revise it. I hope to find fellow writers who can offer me advice about this and hopefully writers who can sympathize with this confidence problem.

I'm looking forward to the discussions we'll share.

Religion, philosophy, art, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, Anglicanism, the Episcopal Church, church history, practical theology, ethics, the Bible, interfaith dialogue, stargazing, mythology, British literature, Irish literature, French literature, Russian literature, magical realism, fantasy