Archive - October, 2011

Announcing 5.2 Creative Nonfiction Authors

October 26, 2011 in Author News, Relief News with 3 Comments

Gayle L. Boss
“Sitting with the Rabbit”

Gayle Boss is a freelance writer in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she and her husband also raise two sons.
Grace Campbell
“Aftershocks”

Grace Campbell is from Grand Rapids, Michigan, but is also a student at Cedarville University in Ohio where she is studying Technical and Professional Communication. She enjoys running cross country and track at Cedarville as well as working at the Cedarville University Writing Center. After graduation Grace would like to be an editor and run marathons.
Jean Hoefling
“Remission”

Jean Hoefling is the author of two books on Eastern Orthodox Christianity (Regina Orthodox Press), and several articles on the humorous side of living cross-culturally. She is co-owner of J&J Copywriters, works as a freelance copyeditor, and is currently writing a book on suffering. She lives with her husband, Tim, in Louisville, Colorado, and enjoys hiking and church stuff.
Heidi Gabrielle Nobles
“Watching Songs”

Heidi Gabrielle Nobles earned her M.A. at Baylor University and her M.F.A. at the University of South Carolina. Her creative writing has appeared in Relief, Welter, and Aenonfire; she also writes for the National Association of Military Families and blogs for Abilene Christian University, where she currently teaches. She is looking for a publisher for her first book, Confiding History, about U.S. military children growing up around the world.
Chely Roach
“Drowning the Albatross”

Chely Roach is a lifelong St. Louisan, along with her husband and their preschool-aged twin daughters. Together, they have owned and operated their own business since 1993, though the kids aren’t much help yet. Not long after enlisting into Baby Boot Camp, she rekindled her love of written words, all while acquiring honorary Masters Degrees in tandem nursing and sleep deprivation.
On the rare occasion that she is conscious, coherent and captures a moment of peace, she loves to read grown-up books, cook all things delicious (while ignoring the dishes), and write stuff. This is Chely’s first print publication.

Heather M. Surls
“The Door of Hope”

Heather recently returned to the States after living in Israel for two years. She now lives in Illinois, in an apartment complex housing refugees and immigrants from more than a dozen people groups. There she reads voraciously, takes frequently walks around the nearby pond, and strives to love God, her husband, and her neighbors.

Presenting the 5.2 Cover and Presales

October 19, 2011 in Relief News with 0 Comments

The Relief staff is churning out the next issue as quickly as possible, so we’ve got some great announcements coming at you this week starting with the cover (right) and presales.

The cover was created by artist Sandra Bowden, and we’ve got an interview with her below, but first…

Presales are now available!

As of right now, you can pre-order Relief Issue 5.2 for $11.47—25% less than retail. This offer is only available for the next few weeks we wrap up the production of the issue. Don’t miss this opportunity to save a few bucks and receive 5.2 immediately after the journal has been printed. To pre-order, just click the Add to Cart button below.

Add to Cart

An Interview with Sandra Bowden

Relief: Tell us a little about “Crossing” the painting featured on our cover for issue 5.2.

Sandra: The official description reads:

This small encaustic contrasts the vibrant textured red “X” or “cross” that strides across the face of the painting to the glow of the gilded surface.

I did it originally for my granddaughter’s eighteenth birthday. I wanted to create a cross that had dynamic movement, boldness, yet was subtle at the same time. The texture of the work demands attention, and the contrast of the red against the gold surface of the background adds dimension.

Relief: Much of your art has an obviously Christian bent to it. How would you describe the relationship between your faith and your artistic practice?

Sandra: The relationship between my faith and my art has always been intertwined. The works that I have created and the series of works that have emerged are a visual record of my intellectual and spiritual journey over the last 50 years. I follow the work, let it ask the questions, and then I search for the next piece as an answer to the questions and possibilities that the previous one has prompted, both artistically and spiritually.

Relief: What gets you excited about art and/or “Christian” art today?

Sandra: Here is something that i just wrote for Transpositions, a blog in England:

In 1980, I promised God that if it did not have to do with faith and art, then I would not do it. That decision has given me great freedom to be involved in Christians in the Visual Arts and the Museum of Biblical Art, along with continuing to be a practicing artist and a serious collector of religious art. All of these efforts are aimed at helping the church reclaim the arts. For over 20 years CIVA has offered an array of traveling exhibits of historical and contemporary art to churches, colleges, and seminaries, and as a result several hundred church related galleries have come into existence during that time. Mobia has mounted some of the most significant religious art exhibitions in the United States, receiving remarkable reviews. Our personal collection continues to grow and is loaned out to institutions as a way to engage people in the visual arts. Each of these efforts offers experiences and opportunities to expand understanding and appreciation of the arts. These are only a few of the many organizations, websites, blogs, symposiums and conferences that have sprung up to explore new ways of engaging the arts in the community of faith. There is a movement that is reviving the visual arts in the life of the church and it is very exciting.

You Lost Me – Millenials and the Church

October 8, 2011 in General with 1 Comment

Here is an interesting review of David Kinnaman’s You Lost Me, featured in The Englewood Review of Books and written by Josh Wallace (a personal friend) about the reasons American youths are leaving the church in their 20s. Of particular interest to us at Relief, I think, are the categories of the Nomad and Exile – people, in the former case, who wander away from Christianity without really abandoning spirituality, or, in the latter, who do not feel at home within the church. I would like to think that Relief appeals to these folks as a place where faith is still vital to real-life experience.