The Glen Online Faculty

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.

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.

David McGlynn

Fiction Manuscript Critique

David McGlynn's story collection, The End of the Straight and Narrow, won the 2008 Utah Book Award for Fiction and was named an “Outstanding Achievement” by the Wisconsin Librarians’ Association. His new book, A Door in the Ocean: A Memoir, just came out from Counterpoint Press in 2012. His stories and creative essays have appeared in Men’s Health, The Huffington Post, Best American Sports Writing, and numerous literary journals. He received his MFA and PhD from the University of Utah, where he also served as the managing editor of Western Humanities Review, and currently teaches at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin.

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.

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.