Asking for help
For twenty years, I have invested significantly of time, energy, money, into my craft, my evolving ministry through words. Story crafting, telling, interpreting, listening. Poetry, liturgy, prayer, song. I spend more money than I ever receive, sharing my words with the world. Connections come through my words, some I even know about: a writer knows so little of where her words travel, who they meet, and how they participate in conversation with their readers.
In this current season, after a burn out that used up much of my savings and energy and for a while, creativity; with ME/Chronic Fatigue limiting the amount of time I can work, and therefore how much money I earn, let alone save, I haven’t the financial resources to invest in what ministry I can enact through my words.
I have found, however, that the creative juices are flowing again, and that writing is one activity that gives me as much energy as it requires of me. So into my creativity, and the writing in particular, I choose to lean. Perhaps it will generate more energy for living and a ministry of presence through more than my words alone.
In a former season, I learned to ask for help. I would not have completed the PhD without it. I will find my thriving again, through which I contribute what is mine to give to my community, with help again now.
If you have the means; if you have the belief in my words, will you join me? Here’s what I’m hoping we may accomplish together.
Help my words live, fly, sing!
Publication costs
Publishers ask writers to contribute to the costs of producing books these days. I have two books coming out in the next few months, which will incur $1,000 or more each in typesetting costs.
Your support helps me help my books to live.
Audiobooks
Listening is a popular medium. I can reach a listening audience by turning my books into audio books. I would like to do so for Hold Them Close, Whisper on My Palm, and From the Mist, my three most recent poetry collections; and for Play. Tell. Be. Postures for Leading and Living Well. These works deserve good quality audio production: studio time and the expertise of an engineer or producer will cost money.
Your support helps me help my words reach new audiences.
Praying the Psalms
Pray the Story has been a major project, or series of projects, for almost a decade. Composing prayer-poems in response to lectionary readings during that time, I have accumulated pieces for half the book of Psalms. It might be fun to expand that into a Pray the Story Psalms collection, so I am composing pieces in response to the remaining Psalms not yet covered by Pray the Story. As I do, I aim to include more music as refrains or hymn / song texts among the compositions.
Your support will help me finish Words of Incense, and maybe even collaborate with some musicians to make the music sing!
Storied interpretation
Stories can interpret other compositions. I am discovering the riches of imaginative, playful, interpretations as I compose stories in response to the biblical compositions we hear in Christian community. With a study of ‘left alone’ (you can find the story in this post), I paid attention to how this story interprets Acts 16:16–19, offering an analysis of both compositions through the lenses of narrative and feminist theology (for the upcoming volume, Tending to Stories in Feminist Theologies). I would like to do more of this, gather my stories together and analyse them.
What can we learn of our biblical inheritance through the stories I compose, through imagination? What can we learn of the role of imagination itself through analysis of the compositions new and biblical?
Your support will help me explore storied interpretation.
As you join with me, I will share with you the stories I compose, and the stories behind the scenes of a writer’s ministry of words. This is something I have to give to my community, and I cannot do it alone. Thank you.
