Tim Challies is on Moody Broadcasting’s Prime Time America this week to talk about his book, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment.
Category Archives: Authors
Freneau’s Heroes at Eutaw Sprtings
American poet Philip Freneau was born on this date in 1752. Since I know little about Freneau, I thought I’d post this link and point to his poem “Eutaw Springs,” spotlighted today on Bartleby.com. It’s one of those salutes to the fallen, heroes of America’s War of Independence who wrestled with their enemy at great cost.
Robert Frost’s Home Vandalized
A party of 50-some underaged drinkers tore up a summer home in Ripton, Vermont, used by poet Robert Frost, police report.
Kristol To Write for NY Times
Editor of The Weekly Standard, Bill Kristol, will write op-ed columns for the NY Times.
Wodehouse a Favorite in Russia
P G Wodehouse’s Russian translations were banned by Stalin in 1929, but back in 1990 that ban was lifted and now Russian readers love his books.
“Russians need freedom and laughter very much,” she said. “They had none for so long. Wodehouse encapsulates this spirit of freedom.
“He also saves souls. His books are all about innocence and joy and purity.
“The reader is lifted into an English paradise, which many Russians believe is the best paradise of all.”
(belated referral notice for Books, Inq.)
Quotations from 2007
The Literary Saloon points out a list of sometimes funny, sometimes nasty quotes from contemporary authors, that is, authors who are not dead yet.
M.W. Smith: A Light in the Darkness
Michael W. Smith has prepared a third Christmas album, and an article on this ends this way:
But despite his success in gospel, Smith worries he’s not doing enough to influence mainstream culture. When he was reaching the pop charts in the ’90s, he said, he loved it because he felt like he was “a light bulb in a dark room.”
“I think about it a lot. ‘What am I doing with my life, and am I doing the right thing?'” Smith says.
He pauses a moment and adds, “I do feel like the success I’ve had has given me a platform to try to let people know what’s really important in life. If you’re not feeding the poor, not looking out for the troubled kid on the block, not giving yourself away, you’ve totally missed it.”
I suspect Smith either held back a bit or made some statements which were not quoted, because giving yourself away must be a part of living out the Gospel or we will be missing it, as he says. That cup of water must be offered in the name of Christ, not the name of decency or America. It is God living among us that brings peace on earth, not simply pulling together.
Terry Pratchett Optimistic in Face of Disease
Will hands off the news that author Terry Pratchett has been diagnosed with a type of Alzheimers. He encourages fans to remain optimistic and plans to keep all current commitments.
Writers Union to Deal Directly with Studios
“Faced with the indefinite suspension of negotiations, the union representing striking Hollywood writers told its members Saturday it would try to deal directly with Hollywood studios and production companies, bypassing the umbrella organization that has been representing them,” reports John Rogers of the Associated Press. Specifically, David Letterman’s show plans to make a deal that will put new shows back on the air.
Sci-Fi Is a Telling a Good Story
Author John Scalzi discusses science fiction, saying it’s a commercial genre. “Academia generally wants you to show you can write [hence literary fiction]; science fiction generally wants you to tell a story.” The idea is that if you can write and tell a great story, then you have a blockbuster or enduring classic on your hands, but that ain’t necessarily so.