What's to come on this Substack.

A takeaway from the 2024 Festival of Faith and Writing.

I went to the Festival of Faith and Writing last April expecting an enjoyable time with friends and some encouragement. I got both of those things.

I also walked away with a pretty clear vision of what I want to happen in my writing life (including here), which was unexpected. 

Now that my seminary class is over, I’m planning to write monthly here about what I’m reading. I wrote about my reading life a few years ago if you were around then.

But I’ve shifted slightly though in how I think about my reading. Over the past year, I’ve started to view my reading life as participating in a great (both in terms of “the great conversation” and just plain awesome) conversation. I’m listening to, learning from, giving attention to the stories of my culture and time, the stories of cultures other than mine, the stories of times other than the one I’m called to live in. And I want this space (for now) to simply reflect that conversation I’m participating in.

So here in this little spot on the Internet I call mine, I’ll share the conversation I’m engaging in through my reading (and probably some of my listening and viewing too). It feels like a nice blend of something personal and particular to me, yet decidedly outside myself too. I’ve been inspired by Haley Baumeister of Life Considered and her faithful documentation of her learning life. I’ll be taking a cue from her in how I approach all of this, and I want to give her full credit.

That said, I’m so very glad you’re here. But if you’re reading this and think, “eh, not for me,” I get it. Here are directions for unsubscribing from a Substack. Email clutter is a bane, and if I’m simply cluttering your inbox, please feel free to unsubscribe; no hard feelings.

If you choose to stay, here’s what you can expect: A monthly email documenting what I’m reading and learning. 

This month, I’m going to share a bit about the books I read for my first seminary class, the podcast series I’m working my way through, a few good articles from Comment and Mere Orthodoxy, and some favorite fiction reads. As I have time, I might share quotes from my Commonplace book I’m attempting to cultivate with diligence. I have a very few other ideas too, but we’ll see. I’m starting small.

Anne Bogel, Karen Swallow Prior and Byron Borger on a panel interviewed by Dr. Jennifer Holberg // photo courtesy of Festival of Faith and Writing.

A highlight at FFW this year was the distinct sense of being part of a community of readers. That was particularly felt when I sat in an auditorium to hear a panel of Anne Bogel, Karen Swallow Prior and Byron Borger. Each of these individuals have made me the reader I am. 

Through her blog, reading guides and podcasts, Anne Bogel taught me to interrogate my reading life and find books that bring me delight.

Through her podcasts, online lectures and newsletters, Karen Swallow Prior taught me to read well and find deep joy in reading “hard” books. 

Through his newsletter and excellent customer service since I first started ordering from Hearts and Minds in 2017, Byron Borger’s enthusiasm for books and people has taught me that reading, reading in community, and specifically reading in the church, can be an act of worship and love for God and neighbor. 

At a different FFW session Byron led, he closed with these words: “Books are holy projects, and writing is holy work.”

I’m cultivating this space for my own documentation and enjoyment. And as I write about the books I’m reading, I’m hoping there will be a bit of holiness here too. For books and writing can indeed be holy endeavors.

That said, welcome to Abby’s Reading.