The Glen Online Faculty

Dan Bellm

Poetry

Dan Bellm has published three books of poetry, most recently Practice: A Book of Midrash (Sixteen Rivers Press), winner of a 2009 California Book Award and named on of the top ten poetry books of 2008 by the Virginia Quarterly Review. His work has appeared in Image, Ploughshares, Poetry, The American Poetry Review, The Best American Spiritual Writing, and many other journals and anthologies. He is a widely published translator of poetry and fiction from Spanish and French, and teaches Literary Translation online for New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies. He lives in San Francisco. Bellm teaches Writing and Midrash and Poetry Tutorial / Manuscript Critique.

Lindsey Crittenden

Creative Nonfiction

Lindsey Crittenden is the author of The Water Will Hold You: A Skeptic Learns to Pray and The View From Below: Stories. Her personal essays and articles – on topics such as prayer, visiting a group of lifers at San Quentin, and bringing a man into your kitchen too soon-- have appeared in The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle Magazine, Image, Real Simple, Bon Appétit, and Best American Spiritual Writing. Her fiction has been awarded national prizes and fellowships and appeared in literary magazines. Lindsey loves the elasticity of creative nonfiction as a genre and the opportunities it offers to writers developing memoir and other nonfiction narratives. She enjoys working closely with students both online and on-site, and has taught for more than 10 years at UC Berkeley Extension. She lives in San Francisco. Crittenden teaches Introduction to Creative Nonfiction and Creative Nonfiction Manuscript Critique.

Paula Huston

Fiction

Paula Huston is a Camaldolese Benedictine oblate and the author of numerous books including The Holy Way: Practices for a Simple Life (Loyola) and Daughters of Song (Random).  She was also co-editor and contributing essayist for the collection Signatures of Grace: Catholic Writers on the Sacraments (Dutton) and is currently at work on Pilgrim Heart, the story of her solo round-the-world journey to sacred Christian sites. Her short stories, essays and articles have appeared in numerous journals and magazines, including Story, American Short Fiction, North American Review, Image, America, and The Christian Century. A National Endowment of the Arts Fellow in Creative Writing, her work has been honored by Best American Short Stories, the Catholic Press Association, and ForeWord Magazine; one of her essays will appear in Best Spiritual Writing of 2010. Huston taught literature, writing fiction, and creative non-fiction at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and in the California State University Consortium MFA for many years before taking an early retirement in order to write full-time. Huston teaches Fiction I: Introduction to Fiction, Fiction II: Intermediate Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction Tutorial / Manuscript Critique.

Jan Krist

Songwriting

When Billboard Magazine critic Bob Darden first heard Jan Krist’s music, he was driving down one of those long Texas back roads. Within a minute, he had to pull over--he was that moved by her plangent, poignant “Someone”. Not surprising to those who know her music. Krist's artful, literate lyrics that seek out the sweet spot between emotion, honesty and humor have won her a devoted following. She has long been a sweetheart of the Midwest's singer-songwriter scene. She has released several albums, the latest of which is "Fallow Ground." For more information please visit www.jankrist.net.

Peggy Rosenthal

Poetry as a Spiritual Practice

Peggy Rosenthal is co-director of the nationwide arts ministry, Poetry Retreats, and a prolific poetry critic. Though Peggy began her career in academics with a doctorate in literature, after her baptism into the Roman Catholic church she became increasingly interested in fostering literature—and especially poetry—as a spiritual resource. Most recently she is the co-author of Reclaiming Beauty for the Good of the World: Muslim & Christian Creativity as Moral Power, written with her husband. Her reflection guide Praying the Gospels thorough Poetry: Lent to Easter meditates on ten contemporary poems that offer a fresh angle on several beloved Gospel passages. Its sequel, Praying through Poetry: Hope for Violent Times, draws on poems of all the major faith traditions. Previously she wrote The Poet’s Jesus, a survey of how Jesus has been treated in twentieth-century world poetry, and co-edited an anthology of poems keyed to Gospel passages, Divine Inspiration: The Life of Jesus in World Poetry. Peggy’s essays and spiritual reflections have also appeared in Image, Cross Currents, Commonwealth, Christian Century, and America. She teaches Poetry as a Spiritual Practice for the Glen Online.

Nicholas Samaras

Poetry

Nicholas Samaras' background is multinational and multicultural. Of Greek-American and European parentage, he was born on Rudyard Kipling's estate, Wimpole Park, in Cambridgeshire, England. He was raised there and on the island of Patmos, Greece (where St. John composed the book of Revelation). His first book of poetry, Hands of the Saddlemaker, received the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award. His individual poems have been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Paris Review, Poetry, The New Republic, Kenyon Review, and other publications. He earned his doctorate from the University of Denver. Currently, he lives with his family in West Nyack, New York. Dr. Samaras teaches Poetry I: Introduction to Poetry Writing, Poetry II: Intermediate Poetry, and Poetry III: Advanced Poetry.

Daniel Taylor

Spiritual Memoir/Autobiography

Daniel Taylor is a professor of literature and writing at Bethel University and the author of six books, including The Myth of Certainty, Letters to My Children, Tell Me A Story: The Life-Shaping Power of Our Stories, and, most recently, In Search of Sacred Places: Looking for Wisdom on Celtic Holy Islands. He speaks frequently at conferences, colleges, retreats, and churches on a variety of topics. Dr. Taylor is also co-founder of The Legacy Center, an organization devoted to helping individuals and organizations identify and preserve the values and stories that have shaped their lives. He is a contributing editor of Books and Culture. Dr. Taylor is married and the father of four children. Dr. Taylor teaches Spiritual Memoir / Autobiography.