Updates on my writing life

A few cool things I'm grateful for

Happy as the Days are Long, Frederick Morgan, undated.

Friends,

I have two pretty exciting things to share, so I thought I might use some classic word art to share them.

Pretty exciting thing #1:

That’s right! This past week I found out I was accepted into a Doctor of Ministry program at Western Theological Seminary called the Sacred Art of Writing. It’s a program run by the Eugene Peterson Center for the Christian Imagination, so this is all kind of a dream within a dream within a dream. I’ve been waiting to apply for this program for three years now, so it feels incredibly surreal to actually have it here in front of me. I’m incredibly, incredibly grateful. The program starts in October, so in the meantime you can find me squealing in the corner.

Pretty exciting thing #2:

That’s also right! In April I had the opportunity to attend the Calvin Festival for Faith and Writing, and while there I got to pitch my book to a few different acquisition editors. One told me I needed at least 25,000 subscribers, so that was a quick no (lol). But two of them acted both interested in my book and supportive of my current platform size. Since April I’ve been re-doing the proposal, and on Friday I emailed my agent with what I *think* is a semi-ready-to-be-sent-to-an-acquisitions-editor proposal. I’m grateful and excited!

(I still need to aim for about 2,000 subscribers, so if you want to share this with 800 of your closest friends, that would be amazing.)

(If you’re curious about my book, you can read the intro here.)

This has been a hot reading summer, so here a list of the too many books in my backpack:

1. The Understory: An Invitation to Rooted and Resilience from the Forest Floor by

   Lore Wilbert

2. A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle

3. Eventide by Kent Haruf

4. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

5. Peace Like a River by Lief Enger

6. Traveling Light: Galatians and the Free Life in Christ by Eugene Peterson

7. Beate Not the Poore Desk: A Writer to Young Writers by Walter Wangerin, Jr.

And here is a list of books I hope to read soon:

1. The Way of Belonging: Reimagining Who We Are and How We Relate by

   Sarah E. Westfall

2. Othered: Finding Belonging with the God Who Pursues the Hurt, Harmed, and Marginalized by

   Jenai Auman

3. How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith

4. A Place on Earth by Wendell Berry

5. Prairyearth: A Deep Map by William Least Heat-Moon

I’m grateful you are here, and I am cheering for the good work you are doing in the world!

-drew

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