On Books & Writing

A collection of 95 posts

The Auralia Thread

Three Years Ago Today, We Raised Our Glasses to the Ale Boy

"This is my favorite fantasy series," says the latest Amazon reviewer of The Ale Boy's Feast, the fourth and final book in my series of fantasy novels called The Auralia Thread. "I recommend it to everyone 13 through 120."

Overstreet's Books

In Case You Missed It: Personal Highlights of 2013

I am so grateful for evenings, weekends, and coffee breaks. Those are the chances I have to share what I do best. I hope that some of it was useful to you in 2013. Here are some of the highlights of my past year...

On Books & Writing

Can You Do Better Than "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night..."?

The temperature is falling fast. It's windy. There's snow in the rain that's splatting against the windows of my house. What is your neighborhood like on a dark and stormy night? If you were asked to describe it, what would you write? Here’s

On Books & Writing

Who Won the Paula Huston Book Giveaway?

In which copies of "A Land Without Sin" are given away to two eager readers...

On Books & Writing

Win a Free Copy of Paula Huston's New Novel: A Land Without Sin

It's easy. If you have a Facebook account, you can enter to win a copy of Paula Huston's celebrated new novel. Here's Tiny Newsman with the details...

The Auralia Thread

With Gratitude for the Life and Work of Lee Hough

Lee Hough was my friend, my counselor, my confidant, my voice of reassurance, my coach.

On Books & Writing

"It Can Entrance You For a Moment..."

"Debate doesn’t really change things. It gets you bogged in deeper. If you can address or reopen the subject with something new, something from a different angle, then there is some hope."

On Books & Writing

I Love Luci... and Levertov

This year, IMAGE presented the tenth annual Denise Levertov award to someone who is more than an inspiration to me.

The Auralia Thread

Why I Want to Be George R. R. Martin's Neighbor

There is a place... a magical place... where J.K. Rowling, Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin, Patricia McKillip, and J.R.R. Tolkien stand side-by-side...

On Books & Writing

In Which I Reveal Who I'm Voting For

In the new issue of Image, there's an interview with Marilynne Robinson that is so inspiring, I keep slowing down and reading small pieces of it again and again. Here's an excerpt.

On Books & Writing

Five Years Ago Today, She Passed From Chronos to Kairos...

Five years ago today, I said an unexpected farewell. Madeleine L'Engle has influenced my thoughts on art and faith as much as any other writer.

On Books & Writing

What Do Harold and the Purple Crayon and Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses Have In Common?

What do Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson, and Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses have in common? Gregory Wolfe, publisher of Image and author of Beauty Will Save the World, explains in this, his commencement address to the 2012 graduates of Seattle Pacific University's MFA in C

On Books & Writing

Wish You Were Here.

A Video Postcard from Glen West: Jeffrey Overstreet from Image Journal on Vimeo.

On Books & Writing

Poem: "In Gratitude" - by Abigail Carroll

I am thrilled to share with you a poem by Abigail Carroll. I heard her read this poem at a writer's retreat at the Gove Hill Retreat Center in Vermont a couple of weeks ago. I am grateful that she's given me permission to publish it here.

On Books & Writing

Attention, Fiction Writers: Tell It... Slant!

Breaking news from Wipf & Stock Publishers and Gregory Wolfe, author of Beauty Will Save the World, and publisher of Image: There's a new fiction imprint in town!

On Books & Writing

Does the Brain Need Stories?

If you invited me to a seminar led by brain scientist John Medina, New York Times-bestselling author of Brain Rules and Brain Rules for Baby, and told me he was going to talk about the brain and its need for narrative, I would sign right up. Medina, a developmental molecular

On Books & Writing

Must-read poetry: Caduceus

Today, I welcome a special guest contributor to Looking Closer: Anne M. Doe Overstreet, who is one of my favorite poets, a sharp-eyed editor, and a skilled gardener. And these are only a few of the reasons I married her. Anyway, she brings us a review today of a new

Journal

Go ahead. Put out into the deep.

After a month of feeble-to-failed writing sessions, I made myself sit down to write yesterday morning. I was pretty sure nothing would happen; I was tired and my head was full of practical matters. But I've been taught to show up, so, somewhat begrudgingly, I did. The coffee

On Books & Writing

"I want to be a writer." "How do I improve my chances of getting published?" "Should I get an agent?"

I get a lot of emails from aspiring writers. Some of them I feel equipped to answer. Some of them I don't... In Part Two of my conversation with Kirk Kraft, which is posted as a preface to my lectures at the Northwest Christian Writers Renewal event, I

On Books & Writing

Journey into Poetry

Webster’s DictionaryI Capture the CastleWorld Book Encyclopedia Any guesses on who wrote that? I'm not sure why there's a photo of a cat attached to Anne's blog post about her journey into poetry. But never mind that: I love it when I read

On Books & Writing

"There are three ways through life..."

The Scriptures say that "all creation groans" until God remakes the world. Today, all creation is groaning a little louder. Why? I'll tell you why... Feast your eyes on the greatest trailer for the greatest movie never made based on a celebrated literary journal.

On Books & Writing

Madeleine L'Engle goes to the movies.

A few weeks back on my Facebook page,  I said I'd have news for fans of Madeleine L'Engle. A little later, I posted that I'd soon be reporting on a new film based on a book by one of my favorite writers. Well... are

On Books & Writing

Marilynne Robinson on Faith, Science, and the Truth

There is no book arriving in 2012 that I am more excited to read than Marilynne Robinson's When I Was a Child I Read Books. This week, The Chronicle of Higher Education published an excerpt... I keep reading it and re-reading it. It's so powerful and

On Books & Writing

Inside a Poet's Delicate Machinery

It is with joy and wild fanboy enthusiasm that I draw your attention to this week's IAM Conversations podcast. Listen in as Christy Tennant speaks with poet Anne M. Doe Overstreet, whose collection of poetry, Delicate Machinery Suspended, was released last year by T.S. Poetry Press. This

On Books & Writing

Do You Find Reading to Be a Chore?

Is reading a chore for you? Do you find it difficult to sit and focus on a book for an hour? The following excerpt is from Deep Attention, Lauren Winner's thoughtful, thorough reflections on the new Alan Jacobs book The Pleasures of Reading in the Age of Distraction: