Christian Resolutions

20 Jan

Part 2 of my look at New Year’s resolutions was published on Burnside Writers Collective yesterday.  In part 1, I asked “Does God Laugh at Our Resolutions?”  Now in part 2, I look at “Christian Resolutions.”  It starts:

I’m tempted to write a satire called Christian New Year’s Resolutions.  It would go something like this:

  1. Pray without ceasing.  Ever.
  2. Don’t watch secular television.
  3. Become a physically fit Proverbs 31 woman.
  4. Read the bible every day and nothing besides it.
  5. Go to church every Sunday.

Is there such a thing as Christian New Year’s Resolutions?

You can read the rest on Burnside.

I started to have some self-doubt about my writing–this piece included but writing in general–and I’m so encouraged by the comments I received on this article.

Larry Shallenberger, author of the books Divine Intention: How God’s Work in the Early Church Empowers Us Today and Lead the Way God Made You, said, “If there were a “like” button, I’d have pushed it.”

Diane Nienhuis, a Burnside writer and food blogger whom I met at the Festival of Faith & Writing at Calvin College (she picked me up at the airport, she’s so sweet!), wrote, “Well said, Stephanie! Beautiful!”  She also shared some of her own resolutions.

Michael D. Bobo, who tackles a highly controversial work of art in his thought-provoking piece “Ants on a Crucifix,” currently featured on Burnside, and as it turns out writes the Claremont Christianity Examiner, which is in the California town where I went to undergrad (small world!), said, “Thanks Steph for getting us back to the basics in 2011.”

And, my editor, Jordan Green, said, “This is tremendous, as if that would be a surprise coming from Stephanie.”  Wow.  Jordan recently cowrote the book Besides the Bible: 100 Books that Have, Should, or Will Create Christian Culture and just wrote what is probably the most thorough review of the new IFC show Portlandia there is.  Incidentally, I once met Jordan in Portland.  (We did not Kombucha tea.) (PS. Check back here tomorrow for a bit of trivia on the Greek influence on Portlandia.)

Anyway, the reason I mention all this is two-fold:::

1.  To show my appreciate for the comments I received, I wanted to promote what all these other talented writers are doing.  Check out their links.  Buy their books.  Leave nice comments for them.  They deserve it.

2.  To encourage writers who struggle with self-doubt.  As I mentioned, I was plagued by insecurity and almost deleted the article.  Sometimes my writing is bad.  That’s the way it goes some days.  But sometimes, and I suspect this is true for other writers as well, my writing isn’t as horrible as I imagine it to be.  Sometimes, it might even resonate with someone.  And that’s why I write.

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Writing Wednesday: Making the Most Out of My Writing MFA, Spring 2011 Semester

19 Jan

Winter break’s coming to a close, and I’m getting ready to enter my second semester of the MFA program.  I really want to get the most I can out of this semester.  Unfortunately, it seems like knowing how to get the most out of anything doesn’t usually happen until after the fact, when it’s too late, so I’ve compiled a list of tips from other writers.

While a lot of articles seem to suggest MFA students go into debt for the sake of writing, I’ve chosen to work full time in addition to doing the MFA full time.  I’m the type of person that thrives under deadlines, and if I weren’t working that wouldn’t mean that I was spending eight hours a day writing.  For me, it’s better to carve out special moments for writing.  That could mean during my lunch hour or on a night I don’t have class.  Often, it means most of Sunday.  I think, though, the greater point here is to make a practice out of writing.  Don’t keep putting it off.  Schedule specific times to write and don’t let other events (or Burn Notice–btw, check out author Tod Golderg’s blog) get in the way.

The tip in these articles about submitting struck home for me.  While I’ve always been pretty good at finding places to publish my work online, I haven’t always been as selective as I should.  One of my goals for this upcoming semester is to submit to a literary magazine.

Finding a mentor is probably the most important goal of mine for this semester.  Last semester’s workshops gave me valuable feedback that I’ve been able to work into my rewrite, but I could use some one-on-one time to really talk through some of the issues in my work.  I need to talk with someone who understands the type of writing I do and has suggestions for ways to improve my writing and where I should be publishing.

Those are my top MFA-related goals for the semester.  What are your writing goals for winter 2011?

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Vasilopita Cutting at the FOS Kick Off

18 Jan

I recently wrote an essay that involved an experience I once had at a vasilopita cutting.  I look forward to sharing it with you sometime in the future.  In the meantime, I want to encourage you to come out to the vasilopita cutting at the FOS kick-off party Thursday night, January 20, 7-9 PM, at Kellari Parea.

In addition to the vasilopita cutting, there will be savory appetizers and a cash bar.  Admission is $25 in advance and $30 at the door.  $100 makes you an event sponsor.  Kellari Parea is located at 36 E. 20th Street in Manhattan.

The kick-off event will present Faithbook: The Orthodox Church as the Ultimate Spiritual Network as the next series topic for FOS, a Greek Orthodox fellowship led by Father Frank Marangos at Holy Trinity Cathedral.

You can listen to an interview about FOS at Radio NEO.

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Church Hopping on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day

17 Jan

During the March on Washington, in which Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, at what church in Washington, D.C., did more than 700 people meet?

Find out in my Church Hopping column, archived at Burnside Writers Collective.

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Throwing Crosses in the Hudson River

12 Jan

I once saw a priest in Brooklyn throw a cross into the muddy waters of the Hudson.  It was a frigid January day, yet a bunch of boys jumped into the river to save the cross.

What would possess a priest to throw a cross into the river?

Theophany; or, as most westerners call it, Epiphany.

The word “Theophany” comes from the Greek “τα Θεοφάνια,” which means “appearance of God,” and January 6 is the feast day that commemorates the incarnation of Jesus.  It celebrates His birth and baptism.

When St. John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, the heavens opened up and the Holy Spirit descended like a dove.  God spoke from the heavens, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matt 3:17, NIV).  It marked one of the very few times that all three characters of the Trinity—Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God—revealed themselves at the same time to man.

Jesus’ baptism marks His first step toward Crucifixion, according to Orthodox theology.

And so, on January 6, Orthodox priests throughout the world throw crosses, symbolic of Jesus’ crucifixion, into bodies of water, symbolic of His baptism.  This is called the Blessing of the Waters.  Volunteers jump into the water to retrieve the cross.  The priest, according to tradition, prays a blessing on the person who gets to the cross first and brings it back to him.

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Does God Laugh at Our Resolutions?

10 Jan

This morning I posted here on the website about my blogging resolutions.  Over at Burnside Writers Collective I had another piece on resolutions published.  In the article, I questioned if the phrase “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans” means that God laughs at our resolutions.

You can read the full article here.

Blogging Resolutions

10 Jan

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to start a blog focusing on my writing.  Resolution accomplished!

It doesn’t end there, though, does it?

Much like eating healthy, exercising, and flossing, blogging and writing are habits that need to be ongoing.  That’s why it helps to set some concrete and tangible goals.

Here are my blogging goals:::

1.  Blog about writing at least once  a month.

2.  Blog about Greek identity, Greek culture, or Greece at least once a month.

3.  Update blog whenever I publish a new article elsewhere.

As I continue to think about my writing resolutions, I may need to develop a list of publishing goals as well, as writing and publishing are two separate beasts.

For now, though, it helps just to put down a few simple goals to get me started on the right track.  I plan to fine tune these goals and reevaluate them on a monthly, if not a weekly, basis.  Setting goals with time lines helps me actually achieve them as opposed to just thinking and dreaming about all my projects.

Perhaps I’ll write in next month about the progress of my resolutions.  Feel free to keep me accountable!

What are your writing resolutions?

Take a Bite Out of the Big Apple with Asphalt Eden

6 Jan

After a few months’ hiatus, Asphalt Eden is back!  Asphalt Eden is a blog I founded in January 2009 that is a source for art, entertainment, sports, food, and Christianity in New York City.  It’s updated every week with event listings going on throughout the city.  You’ll find out about efforts to make the lives of the homeless more comfortable and dignified, major conferences that bring different churches and denominations together, and how faith and work are related.

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Happy New Year! Happy New Blog!

4 Jan

Happy New Year!  Καλή χρονιά!  I suppose it’s rather cliche to start a blog in the new year, but I’ve been talking about doing this for a while and a new year seems to have given me the impetus I needed.  Let me tell you a little about why I’m blogging and what you’ll find here.

I’m looking forward to sharing my journey as a writer and editor with you.  I’m currently working on a few different projects.  One of the ones I’m most excited about sharing with you is my memoir about growing up Greek-American.  Whether you’re Greek, Greek-American, a hellenophile, or interested in cross-cultural exchange of any sort, you’ll hopefully find my upcoming project interesting and informative.  As this blog gets underway, I’ll collect inspiring quotes by Greek writers and philosophers, let you know about upcoming Greek events and news, and share some memories with you that might just fall under the category of embarrassing.

Having worked as a professional writer and editor for over ten years now, I also have a multitude of other interesting projects I’m involved with.  Feel free to check out the clips section to sample previous articles on such obsessions as the Beat Generation, The Hold Steady, traveling, and visual arts.  Whenever I publish something new, I’ll be sure to share the news with you in the blog.

I also hope this blog will be encouraging and useful for fellow writers and those interested in the writing process.  You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at what I’m thinking about as I write.  Some of the entries will deal with the practical issues of style and substance and other entries will mean to inspire, support, and create a community of writers and readers.

Please feel free to leave your thoughts and questions for me, about what I’m writing, and about the writing life in the comments section.  I’d love to hear what you’re writing and reading too!

Looking forward experiencing 2011 with you!

Luv ya heaps,

Stephanie

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