Catholic Writers and the New Media
A few weeks back, I took part in the wonderful synergy created by three concurrent events, the Catholic Writers Conference, the Catholic New Media Conference, and the annual trade expo of the Catholic Marketing Network. I was able to attend all of the talks of the writers’ conference, as well as the third day of the New Media conference, which focused on blogging, and also had several opportunities to stroll through the marketing trade show, meet the vendors (who had an astonishing variety of products), and pick up a huge assortment of freebies (mostly books – how could I pass up free books?!?).
I met lots of wonderful people, and got plenty of ideas – too many, really, and it has taken me a couple of weeks to recover! There was a palpable feeling that we've arrived at a new moment in which the Catholic faith can be communicated to the world in a fresh, new way, thanks to modern technology and the new media.
One of the results of this great experience is that I decided to revive and spiff up this blog – check out the new banner image. When I got into the blog dashboard, I found that I had over a dozen drafts of posts waiting for me to finish and post at some opportune time (the most recent post, on poetic imagination, was one of these). I’ve also decided to follow through on a project I’ve been considering for the past six months, which seems particularly appropriate for the upcoming Year of Faith and the national elections this fall – I’ll say more about that, and you’ll notice a new page on this blog when I’m ready to roll with it.
Meanwhile, I thought I would simply acknowledge the many books I picked up at the trade show (a couple signed by the authors,* all except the first two were free). Click the links to read more from the books’ publishers; I’ll write a short review of each one when I get a chance to look at them.
- Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light - The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta . Image Books.
- Doing Well and Doing Good: The Challenge to the Christian Capitalist, Richard J. Neuhaus. Image Books.
- *21 Ways to Worship: A Guide to Eucharistic Adoration, Vinny Flynn. MercySong, Inc.
- *Wrapped Up: God’s Ten Gifts for Women, Teresa Tomeo & Cheryl Dickow. Servant Books.
- The Catholic Tide Continues to Turn, David J. Hartline. Aquinas and More.
- 33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for MarianConsecration, Michael E. Gaitley, MIC. Marian Press.
- Preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus Christ through Mary According to St Louis de Montfort, Fr Hugh Gillespie, SMM. Montfort Publications.
- If Aristotle’s Kid Had an iPod: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Parents, Connor Gallagher. Saint Benedict Press.
- Two Statues, Brian Kennelly. Saint Benedict Press.
- Jesus at My Side: 365 Reflections on His Words, Julie Dortch Cragon. Our Sunday Visitor.
- Faith and Culture in Catholic Education: A Guide for Catholic and Non-Catholic Parents, Frank Desiano, CSP. Paulist Press.
- Dover Pictura. Dover Publications.
Great list of books. I look forward to your reviews. I'm especially interested in Preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus Christ through Mary According to St Louis de Montfort, Fr Hugh Gillespie, SMM. I did a search and found a free online version put out by Jerry Conniker of Apostolate for Family Consecration. You can find it here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sjtheworker.org/consecrationtojesus/PreparationTotalConsecration.pdf
That one is going on my kindle! Thanks.
Thanks for the download link. I was going to look at the two free books I picked up on Marian consecration this evening and pick out one to read in the coming weeks, so now I have three to compare!
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