Looking Closer
What can we learn from Mary, the mother of Christ, that can help us understand what is happening in Ferguson? Read more
What can we learn from Mary, the mother of Christ, that can help us understand what is happening in Ferguson? Read more
This week, in my community of arts-and-faith explorers, conversations have been focused on the joy of Christmas carols, the mixed feelings over a new Terrence Malick trailer, the predictably disappointing conclusion to Peter Jackson’s ruination of The Hobbit, some interesting conversations with the Exodus team, and the traditional year-end challenges of drafting various “Best of 2014” lists. I’m hard at work on my own lists of favorite films and albums from 2014. It’s a particularly challenging year for list-making, because I’ve seen fewer films than... Read more
The author of How to Write a Poem shows us how to make a Christmas playlist. Read more
Our guest DJ for some Christmas music: The author of Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling and Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power. Read more
A Christmas playlist from the author of North of Hope. Read more
One of the biggest musical surprises for me in 2014 was the discovery of a local Seattle band called The Bruised Hearts Revue. If you’re a fan of Wilco, Over the Rhine, Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, or Neko Case, you’ll hear their influences here. I’d have a hard time picking a favorite cut from the album, but if you want to sample just one song, try the title cut of their debut record — “As Bright as It Burns” — here... Read more
A Christmas playlist from adventure novelist and Rabbit Room editor A. S. Peterson... Read more
I began listening to this post’s guest DJ late, and by a rather circuitous route. First, I discovered the writing of David Dark, whose books are among some of my favorite cultural commentaries. Then I began hearing about his immensely talented “better half”: Sarah Dark. Or, as she is better known: Sarah Masen. The name Sarah Masen rang a bell, but I still, to this day, do not understand how I missed her idiosyncratic art-pop records. Her distinctively ethereal vocal... Read more
I was already a fan of Chris Willman’s work in the early ’90s when he singled out U2’s greatly misunderstood, hastily dismissed album Pop as the #1 record of that year. I was glad to find somebody who was listening closely enough to appreciate the complexity and stylistic audacity of the record. I already knew about his appreciation for Bruce Cockburn. Many years later, I’d have the privilege of meeting him during a press junket for The Lord of the Rings: The... Read more
If I were struggling with cancer, I suspect this movie would come across as punch in the gut. Read more
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