My Lifelong Attraction to Magnet Schools By Christian Piatt (Originally published in PULP) I grew up in Dallas, where the question, “where did you go to school?” meant something very different than it did in Pueblo. There was a sort of constant jockeying for positions on the status ladder, part of which was identified both by the grade school you attended (hopefully private, of course), and then by the caliber of school you went on to from there. I was... Read more
I’m happy to let you know that both BANNED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BIBLE and BANNED QUESTIONS ABOUT JESUS are available for pre-order on Chalice Press’ website. The BIBLE book will be shipped later next month, and the JESUS book in June. Here’s a link to both books on the Chalice site: http://www.chalicepress.com/search.aspx?k=banned%20questions You can also go to www.chalicepress.com and search the keywords “Banned Questions” if the link doesn’t work. If you order either or both books between now and the... Read more
You can check out the article online and more about this great magazine at www.sojo.net Can I Get A Witness? Split Ticket: Independent Faith in a Time of Partisan Politics, edited by Amy Gopp, Christian Piatt, Brandon Gilvin. Chalice Press. Reviewed Jess O. Hale Jr. In the U.S. it seems almost every policy matter gets entangled in a war of partisan politics from which little emerges, too often only a shadow of what is needed. Just look at the results... Read more
A surprising contingency of people seems to have their knickers in a knot about the so-called mosque at Ground Zero. What once was a retail clothing store has been sitting abandoned for years prior to these plans being drawn up. And though the common-sense response to rehabilitation of urban blight would be hearty support, it’s become a political and social lightning rod. As can be the case all too often with emotionally-charged debates, people don’t wait for the facts to... Read more
NewSpin: House of the Rising Stench Written by Christian Piatt December 2010 There’s a home down the street from us that’s affectionately known by neighbors – particularly those within smelling distance – as “The Toilet.” On warm days, the distinct smells of decaying garbage and slow-rotting feces waft through the air. Gross, right? Try living by it. The Toilet, which some might call a rental property, sits at 1724 N. Grand and is the bane of the block. In a... Read more
I should precede my comments by pointing out I studied music in high school and college, and though I am far from a purist, I expect there’s some deep-seeded music snobbery in me. I found this video of a band called Atomic Tom playing one of their songs on the New York subway both exhilarating and distressing. What’s so incredible about their performance is that they use now instruments, yet they’re still performing. They do the whole song using nothing... Read more
All right, some folks don’t seem to be on board with me about how these folks look alike. So here they are side by side. Also, just for fun, I added one at the end that I hear all the time. Read more
Newspin By Christian Piatt (Originally published in PULP) By the time this goes to press, political satirists John Stewart and Stephen Colbert will have conducted their “March to Restore Sanity” and the “Rally to Keep Fear Alive,” respectively, in Washington, D.C. Seen by many as a direct response to Glenn Beck’s rally in the same city on the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Junior’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Stewart explained in a recent interview on National Public Radio, such... Read more
My publisher and I are hung up on a pair of designs for the BANNED QUESTIONS book series coming out next year, and we need your help. Take a second to check out the two different design options we have for the books and cast your vote for the one you like best: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7VMX8RF Thanks, Christian Read more
Christian Piatt
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