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Artist of the Month David McGlynn Contents
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FeaturesArtist of the Month: David McGlynn
In both his fiction and nonfiction, David McGlynn’s great theme is youth: its pains, confusions, and glories, its energy and idealism, its awakening to the possibilities of sex and work, tragedy and betrayal, and its potential for extraordinary goodness. McGlynn is an elegant craftsman of language. His phrases, gestures, and images stay with you for days and even years after reading. He writes about pain and error, but also the old-fashioned virtues of endurance, kindness, and labor. His writing is generous, honest, and polished. Among a generation of young male novelists and memoirists whose prose is often marked by self-congratulatory flights of self-consciousness, David McGlynn stands apart. Call him the anti-Eggers. He has a long career ahead of him, and he has both the heart and the skill to offer something entirely new to American literature in the decades to come. Image has published both his fiction and nonfiction, and we’ve chosen to excerpt an essay here because it’s shorter and more readable on line. But we can’t say enough to recommend his new collection of short stories, The End of the Straight and Narrow from SMU Press, from which material appeared in Image issue #54, and which will be reviewed in an upcoming ImageUpdate. Click here for more. Kate Campbell: Save the Day
Kate Campbell’s career as a singer-songwriter has run the gamut of American folk music, from gospel and blues to country-inspired southern folk. Her new album, Save the Day, features a little of everything, and—due to some talented accompanists—provides that rare listening pleasure of getting to hear the best of fiddle, banjo, organ, accordion, electric guitar, and piano all in one album, in addition to Campbell’s own impeccable vocals and acoustic guitar playing. Campbell’s songs tell stories—“peculiar, nearly forgotten stories” as one reviewer writes—such as the one in “Fordlandia” about Henry Ford’s failed attempt to create a tire factory in the middle of the Amazon. But these songs are also inspired by the struggles, yearnings, and searches of ordinary people. In the bluegrass ballad “Falling out of Heaven,” we hear from the wandering tribe of Israel, a farmer whose crops have dried up, and a family that has plenty. Saint John of the Cross and Saint Teresa of Avila make an appearance, as do Joan Didion and Harper Lee—the hopeful, hymnlike “Sorrowfree,” with Spooner Oldham on piano, was inspired by To Kill a Mockingbird. In the album’s penultimate track, “Shining Like the Sun,” this eclectic band of characters seems to come together: “fourth and walnut / tenth and main / anywhere I’m standing / we are all the same / every single beat / every single breath / every single day fades into the west / shining like the sun / we are shining like the sun.” The album’s title song was inspired by a line from Frederick Buechner: “It is no wonder that just the touch of another human being at a dark time can be enough to save the day.” Campbell’s lyrics seem infused by a faith that’s never cheap, that feels rooted in this earth and shored up by the touch of other human beings. Save the Day was produced by Walt Aldridge and features vocal accompaniment by the likes of John Prine, Nancy Griffith, and Pierce Pettis. Kate Campbell will be touring the US throughout October and November. Save the Day hits stores on October 14, but you can buy it now from her website. Click here for more. In his new fantasy novel Cyndere’s Midnight, author and film critic Jeffrey Overstreet reels us back in to his world of strange creatures and infinite hues. In the first book, Auralia’s Colors, a kingdom stripped of color by jealous and greedy royalty was graced by the hand of an orphan girl with a mysterious gift, who began to restore beauty to the land with shimmering garments and painted walls. But the restoration came at great price, and now House Abascar is a scattered people, wandering lost with only remnants of the strange girl’s colors to guide them—and the tireless trudging of the ale-boy, determined to fulfill the wishes of Auralia. While the suffering of House Abascar is always in mind, Overstreet turns his attentions this time around to Cent Regus, the land of vicious and feral beastmen who were once men but now know nothing but wild violence. One such bloodthirsty creature was touched by his encounter with Auralia’s impossibly beautiful colors, and has begun to diverge from the course of his savage kinsmen. Jordam, this wild-eyed beast, feels a tug toward beauty and compassion that he cannot articulate with his stunted speech. His path crosses with that of Bel Amica, a rival house with internal roiling of its own, and its heiress Cyndere, who has lost a loved one to the terrors of the beastmen and now roams the forest. The pain of her loss is still fresh, and yet Cyndere is perceptive to the suffering of others, somehow aware that her own healing lies therein. Overstreet’s playful prose gallops along the now-familiar trails of these neighboring kingdoms. And his characters, as colorful as one of Auralia’s scarves, make us believe that redemption is possible even for the most repulsive of beasts. Click here for more. Yes, folks, you read that right. And no, it’s not a special effects extravaganza starring Jack Nicholson, directed by George Lucas, and produced by Steven Spielberg. It’s actually done in the manner of a Victorian puppet theater, and it’s been updated with a cast of oh-so-very contemporary characters. The amazing thing is that it works. The stylization of the cleverly drawn characters and backgrounds, the over the top dialogue and soundtrack, the visual gags and “updating”—all these elements combine to keep viewers on their toes. There are, in fact, great actors involved: Dermot Mulroney as the voice of Dante the Pilgrim (you know, he’s the slacker who’s frequently hung over and not doing too well with a job or the girls), and James Cromwell as the wise but unsentimental Virgil. The curtain rises on some shady urban streets when Dante the slacker says: “About halfway through the course of my pathetic life, I woke up and found myself in a stupor in some dark, unfamiliar place. I’m not sure how I ended up there; I guess I’d taken a few wrong turns.” The updating comes in a variety of forms, from simple changes of setting—Francesca and Paolo in a seedy no-tell motel—to the more broadly satirical, as when they encounter the late Senator Strom Thurmond dressed as a bottle of Mrs. Butterworth’s maple syrup. The satire gets political, of course, and occasionally predictably so: Dick Cheney is the damned soul whose body continues to operate up “above,” though inhabited by a demon. The whole thing is risky and inevitably some jokes fall flat, but there’s also a lot of love for the original here, and creativity to burn. In the midst of all the playfulness there’s even a hint that there are, indeed, high stakes in this mortal life of ours. “I was totally expecting to see demons and bondage stuff,” Dante the pilgrim says at one point, but Virgil counters: “This is hell, Dante, not your personal fantasy.” For more information visit the film's website. Image is Moving... Across Campus
After eight years in the hallowed halls of Seattle Pacific University’s humanities department, the offices of Image, along with the SPU MFA program, are moving into a house today! You can now find us in a large craftsman-style home located at 328 ½ West Nickerson, just across the street from our old offices (our phone numbers and mailing address of 3307 Third Avenue West will remain the same). The two-story house features our own personal kitchen, nooks and crannies for reading and writing, open areas to entertain guests, more storage space, and brand-spankin' new desks for everyone, including the yet-to-be-hired Director of Development. We’ll miss seeing our colleagues in the humanities wing on a daily basis, but we’re pretty excited about our new digs, and we’re hopeful that we’ll have plenty of visitors. Stay tuned for an invitation to a housewarming party later this fall… as soon as the dust settles. Gallery WatchZhi Lin: Invisible and Unwelcomed People
The Seattle Pacific Art Center Gallery is proud to announce its exhibition Invisible and Unwelcomed People, a suite of watercolor sketches by artist Zhi Lin. In a series of haunting images rendered in Chinese ink, Lin records sites where Chinese immigrants worked, suffered and died in their quest to complete America's first transcontinental railroad (finished 1869). Invisible and Unwelcomed People is accompanied by the educational exhibition Art in Context: Building the Railway, Building the Image, mounted by Seattle Pacific University Art History students. Both exhibitions run through October 17. An artist talk and reception will take place Wednesday, October 8 at 6:00 p.m. Click here for more information. Edward Knippers: Fear Naught but God
Fear Naught But God is a suite of black and white woodcut block prints by artist Edward Knippers. The prints are paired first with a serious Biblical narrative, then with a more playful circus subject. This is similar to medieval morality plays with clowns and minstrels making commentary on serious themes. "The exhibitions are a way," Knippers says, "of countering the current trend in the visual arts of ignoring or denigrating religious themes. The human body is an essential element in the Christian doctrines of Creation, Incarnation, and Resurrection. God sees us as we are. The best metaphor for that is the nude body." The exhibit will be on display at White Stone Gallery through November 9. There will be an opening reception on Friday, October 3, 7-9 p.m. White Stone Gallery is located at 4219 Main Street, Manayunk in Philadelphia. For more information, click here. To contact the gallery, call (215) 482-7700 or email info@whitestonegallery.com. Message BoardIf you have information other ImageUpdate readers might find interesting, share it here! Do you have a question that you hope a member of the ImageUpdate community might have the answer to? Ask it here. Have your messages posted by sending an e-mail to gwolfe@spu.edu. Regent College Lecture: Walter BrueggemannWalter Brueggemann will deliver Regent College’s annual Laing Lectures, October 8 and 9, 2008. All lectures are free and held in the Regent College Chapel. Please arrive early for a good seat. Limited parking is available at Regent College after 4:30 p.m. Regent is located at 5800 University Blvd., Vancouver, B.C. V6T 2E4. For more information, click here or call 1-800-663-8664. Contemplative Art & Movement RetreatAn Exploration of Monastic Rhythms Through Art & Movement is a retreat led by Christine Valters Paintner, PhD and Roy DeLeon, OblSB. It will be held December 3-7, 2008 on the Hood Canal in Washington. For more information and details click here or e-mail Christine at Christine@AbbeyoftheArts.com Call for Visual Art SubmissionsI am the art editor for Presence, a journal of Spiritual Directors International. I am always looking for quality art submissions from artists with a spiritual commitment. We print mostly in black and white, pay a small stipend, and include a short bio of the artist. I prefer to receive links to websites rather than image files. Contact Christine Paintner at Christine@AbbeyoftheArts.com for more information. ImageNews -- The Scoop on Our Programs
Image Readings: Rodger Kamenetz The poems of Rodger Kamenetz are full of jazz rhythm, ancient tragedy, and dark wit. They draw on Jewish song and prayer in a voice that is thoroughly modern—with an equanimity and a quiet humor that may come from his Buddhism and may come just from himself. Have a listen—he’s our next poet in the Image Readings series. Click here to listen. Now Hiring a Director of Development at Image Image is looking for a full-time Director of Development to build our charitable giving and help us grow to meet the increasing demand for our programs. By giving our fundraising efforts the attention and guidance they need, the Director of Development will enable Image to remain at the forefront of cultural transformation and broaden its influence. We are looking for a creative, hard-working professional who is passionate about Image’s mission in the world of art and faith and skilled at motivating others to support that mission. The position will involve creating a development plan for Image, building relationships with donors and potential donors, making asks for major gifts, writing solicitation materials and grant proposals, and systematically evaluating the results of Image’s fundraising initiatives. Qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree, excellent verbal and written communication skills, excellent relational skills, and an ability to work effectively and creatively, alone or as part of a team. Previous experience in development and/or experience working for a non-profit is a plus. Is this you or someone you know? To apply, send a CV; a cover letter that states how you came to know about Image and what you envision bringing to Image’s development program, outlining your particular skills or areas of interest; and a 5-10 page sample of your prose writing. Mail to: Image, Attn: Director of Development Application, 3307 Third Avenue West, Seattle, WA 98119. Or email to jmullins@imagejournal.org with the subject line: Director of Development. If you have questions, contact Julie Mullins at (206) 281-2988 or jmullins@imagejournal.org. Click here for a complete job description and list of qualifications. God With Us Book Event: An Evening with Kathleen Norris 
In anticipation of the Advent and Christmas season, Image journal invites you to an evening featuring award-winning poet, writer, and speaker Kathleen Norris. The event will be held at the Seattle Art Museum in downtown Seattle on November 8, 2008, at 7:30 p.m. Author of New York Times bestsellers The Cloister Walk, Dakota, and Amazing Grace, Norris will give a thought-provoking talk on the meaning of Christmas. The event will also feature the book God With Us: Rediscovering the Meaning of Christmas, edited by Greg Pennoyer and Gregory Wolfe. God With Us is a beautifully illustrated collection of daily meditations for the seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, and includes scripture selections, master works of art, and reflections from writers such as Kathleen Norris, Luci Shaw, Eugene Peterson, Scott Cairns, and others. In addition to Norris’s keynote, the event will include a reception and book signing. This event is free and open to the public. To RSVP, contact Julie Mullins at (206) 281-2988 or jmullins@imagejournal.org. Subscribe to Image in Print and Get More Art, Fiction, Poetry, Essays, Interviews, and Every Good ThingIf you like reading about great new art and writing inspired by faith in ImageUpdate, and you're ready to get down to reading and seeing the stuff itself, it's time to subscribe to Image. Each quarter our editors comb the world of art and letters to bring you our favorite new work--work that respects transcendent mystery as well as the gritty truth of the material world that bears the divine imprint. A one-year subscription gets you four beautifully produced issues delivered right to your door. Ninety percent of the journal's content is not available on our website, but only through what we call "the sacrament of print." Click here to get the magazine Terry Tempest Williams calls "evocative and inspiring" and Bret Lott calls "the most meaningful literary journal being produced today." ImageUpdatePublisher: Gregory Wolfe ImageUpdate is the biweekly e-mail newsletter from Image, a quarterly print journal that explores the relationship between Judeo-Christian faith and art through contemporary fiction, poetry, painting, sculpture, architecture, film, music, and dance. Each issue also features interviews, memoirs, essays, and reviews. ImageUpdate brings you news about books, CDs, organizations, websites, conferences, exhibitions, and tours--all of which inhabit the intersection between faith and imagination. ImageUpdate will also notify you whenever a new issue of Image is printed, an Image event is upcoming, or new content is posted to our website. Copyright © 2008 Center for Religious Humanism. All rights reserved. |
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