Seen&Unseen: Life is more important than art

I've just started writing for Seen&Unseen, which aims to make Christian faith better understood in public, displaying the creative, imaginative, culture-shaping power of the Christian gospel.

In my first article I review the themes of recent art exhibitions tackling life’s big questions and the roles creators take. Part of my article is based on a paper I presented at The Art of Creation, a conference held at Kings College London and organised through the National Gallery’s Interfaith Sacred Art Forum, which brought together speakers from a wide range of disciplines to explore the intersection of art, theology, and ecology: 

"The conference was part of a year-long series of reflections on three paintings from the National Gallery’s Collection – Claude Monet’s Flood Waters, Vincent Van Gogh’s Long Grass with Butterflies, and Rachel Ruysch’s Flowers in a Vase - which raise ecological concerns. The papers exploring aspects of these paintings drew on an eclectic, yet fascinating, range of sources including: Maori beliefs; the Jewish and Christian scriptures; South African poetry; the Nouvelle Theologie; the theology of resonance; the writings of Gerard Manley Hopkins and Marilynne Robinson; and a range of related artworks including the work of Barnett Newman and Regan O’Callaghan. The conference initiated a dialogue regarding ways in which art and faith together can help us make reparative connections in a fragile world and its approaches suggest ways of engaging with the big issues that artists and curators are exploring."

In the article I suggest that these "ways of relating art, creation and faith suggest one approach to engaging with the big issues that artists and curators are exploring and which faith communities, including the Church, have explored throughout the history of humanity."

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Bruce Cockburn - To Keep The World We Know.

The Guardian: Visited by revelation

Lila: '“A question is more spacious than a statement,” she once wrote, “far better suited to expressing wonder.” Her questioning books express wonder: they are enlightening, in the best sense, passionately contesting our facile, recycled understanding of ourselves and of our world. The one thing Robinson can be counted on to resist is received wisdom. At the end of an essay called “Psalm Eight”, she wrote that we all “exist in relation to experience, if we attend to it and if its plainness does not disguise it from us, as if we were visited by revelation”.' Sarah Churchwell on Marilynne Robinson.

Stations of the Cross: 'The inexpressibly painful story of Maria (Lea van Acken) is structured in an ingenious parallel with the stations of the cross (that is, the traditional scenes associated with Christ carrying his cross to the crucifixion) and filmed in mostly static tableaux, beginning with a confirmation class whose composition recalls depictions of the last supper.' Review by Peter Bradshaw.

The Documentary: Sister Aimee: 'McPherson founded her own church in 1923, which was “built more like a theatre with an orchestra pit at the front,” according to biographer Matthew Sutton. She would take to the stage and enact Bible stories which had the production values of a Broadway musical.' Review by Priya Elan.

P. D. James: 'Her books always contained at least one religious character, a sign of her devotion to Anglicanism. This gave way to much discussion in her stories about the nature of good and evil, with Dalgliesh, the son of a vicar, often leading the way.' Obituary.

Gist Is: 'Harry was raised a Christian, and came out aged 19. Friends and family were supportive; reaction from the broader church community was mixed. “I was leading a youth group, and I was asked not to carry on there.” He laughs, hollowly. “Still got my back up about it.” Attempting to clear the air, he and Tim met with group leaders, assuming responsible adults could be reasoned with. “But they were really horrible. You found some people held on to scripture so tightly, because that was what they built everything on. But then there were others, just as devout, who were almost excited by vagueness. They weren’t tied to the letters, the lines, but the sentiment. Their support was invaluable to me.”' Interview with Adult Jazz.

William Blake: '... I discovered what I believed in. My mind and my body reacted to certain lines from the Songs of Innocence and of Experience, from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, from “Auguries of Innocence”, from Europe, from America with the joyful immediacy of a flame leaping to meet a gas jet. What these things meant I didn’t quite know then, and I’m not sure I fully know now. There was no sober period of reflection, consideration, comparison, analysis: I didn’t have to work anything out. I knew they were true in the way I knew that I was alive. I had stumbled into a country in which I was not a stranger, whose language I spoke by instinct, whose habits and customs fitted me like my own skin.' Philip Pullman on the poetry of Blake.

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Adult Jazz - Hum.

Guardian articles: Marilynne Robinson and Giles Fraser

The Guardian has a brilliant article about Marilynne Robinson:

'“A question is more spacious than a statement,” she once wrote, “far better suited to expressing wonder.” Her questioning books express wonder: they are enlightening, in the best sense, passionately contesting our facile, recycled understanding of ourselves and of our world. The one thing Robinson can be counted on to resist is received wisdom. At the end of an essay called “Psalm Eight”, she wrote that we all “exist in relation to experience, if we attend to it and if its plainness does not disguise it from us, as if we were visited by revelation”. There are revelations waiting in her novels, if we attend to them ...

All of Robinson’s novels require alertness and patience: they demand that we attend, in both senses of the word, that we wait, and pay attention. And they remind us that redemption may not be a comfortable experience.'

Giles Fraser is also in brilliant form when he argues that scapegoating immigrants is the oldest trick in the book:

'the real threat to Christianity on these shores is the narrow-minded provincialism that confuses religion with some chauvinistic Englishness that believes native-born people come first.'

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Van Morrison - Spirit.

Seven Kings & Newbury Park Residents Association (SKNPRA) Newsletter

Audrey Shorer, Secretary to SKNPRA, writes:

Our AGM held on the 16th July was well attended and we were pleased that PC Jackson-Plume was able to give us a run down on activities in Newbury Park & Seven Kings. He explained the recent restructuring of staff in Redbridge which left 1 Sergeant , 1 PC and 1 PCSO for each ward.

Although crime figures were down in Newbury and Seven Kings, those in Chadwell & Clayhall have risen.

He urged members to attend the 3 monthly Police Ward Panels to raise local issues. The next meeting is on Monday 15th Sept. 7.30 at Barkingside Police station. If you are interested, please contact newbury.snt@met.police.uk address to FAO Ward Panel.

NEW CHAIRMAN.

The Rev Jonathan Evens has been our hard working Chairman for 6 years. Due to his three month sabbatical and heavy work load he asked to stand down as Chairman. We were most grateful for the untiring support he gave us throughout our activities.

We were pleased to welcome David Stephens as our new Chairman. He has been a Newbury Park resident for 39 years and is Chairman of the Civilian Committee of 4F (Ilford) Squadron Air Cadets also the East Sector representative on the civilian committee of the London Wing, Air Cadets.

He has already put in much time and effort as acting Chairman since Jonathan stood down.

SECRETARY’S REPORT. Audrey Shorer.

We have been involved in 3 main projects this year.

The first was to petition TfL to install step free access at Newbury Park & Seven Kings stations. You may remember that work was started on a lift shaft at Newbury Park Station in 2009, but TfL ran out of funds for the project and the hole was filled in.

In July last year we held a protest meeting at Newbury Park which was well attended and reported. Since then we have continued to badger TfL and Mayor Boris Johnson with support from Redbridge Councillors. Recently Boris indicated that SK might receive funding for step free access.

We would like to thank committee member Peter Robinson for all the time and effort he has put in with letters, e-mails & phone calls on this ongoing project and I ask you all to sign the petition here tonight.

The second project is for a permanent swimming pool in Ilford. We have been campaigning on this issue since 2003 when the old pool was threatened with demolition. Since then we have seen many plans and been given many promises, the last one that a pool will be built in 2018 but no indication of the cost or where it will be built.

I would like to thank committee members Martin Clinton & Kate Kennedy for their efforts in contacting Redbridge Councillors, Boris Johnson and local swimming groups with an ongoing demand for a pool.

The third project was to object to a proposal by Redbridge Council to close St Johns Rd and put a mini roundabout at the junction of Aldborough rd Sth and Meads Lane.

Our Chairman, Jonathan, Mark and myself spoke at Area 5 & 7 committee meetings to point out the futility of this plan. The proposal was rejected by both committees. We continue to press TfL for traffic lights at this junction.

Our Chairman, Rev Jonathan Evens has set up the Sophia Hub Timebank at St Johns church which is a community network to help and advise local entrepreneurs wishing to start new businesses. They have regular meetings with speakers on a variety of subjects such as business planning, e-safety and customer service. The use of internet is available at St Johns church where the meetings are held. The next meeting is on Tuesday 26th August 7pm. If you are interested, contact ros.southern@sophiahubs.com

In between times we have dealt with issues of parking, fly-tipping, lighting and planning.

I have produced 3 Newsletters since the last AGM. The last one sent by e-mail to all those who have given their e-mail address. The rest have been hand delivered or posted. I would like to thank all those who help with the hand deliveries.

TREASURER’S REPORT. Jayanti Parmar.

Our bank balance at 31 03 2014 stands at £ 2,815.03 Expenditure over the year was £749.85.

A full account report is available on request.

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY’S REPORT Mark Kennedy.

It has been a busy twelve months for me in this role. I promised you as members (households) last year that I would with my committees support increase the membership to 200 members by the end of December 2013. I have to say that I owe you all an apology I was unable to hit this target in December, which I hope you will forgive me for. However, I did manage to increase the membership to 200 a short time ago in 2014 and I have to say that it is with great pleasure that I can report that the membership number for this association has now reached 222 members, an increase of 60 members. Our membership of roads where we have members has increased as well from 50 roads last year to 60, an increase of 10.

As far as I can tell, judging by other residents membership numbers that exist in the London Borough of Redbridge we can proudly boast to be one of the biggest if not the biggest residents association in Redbridge. We are certainly one of the few residents associations that can say that we are adding new members almost every week. If I do not personally recruit a new member every week, I feel disappointed. My mandate in this role is to increase the membership base and broaden our coverage of roads. So far so good, but the hard work and journey must continue.

Why do we need a big membership base? It is important that we continue to grow and recruit new members so we become or are more representative of the areas we serve as a residents association. The more members we have the louder our voice is, the more united we are as a community in tackling an issue and a force to be reckoned with in the Seven Kings and Newbury Park areas.

My target for 2014/15 is to increase the membership form 222 to 272 over the next 12 months. To do so, I need your help! We all know, a neighbour or a friend that lives in Seven Kings and / Newbury Park. I would like to encourage you all to speak to your neighbour(s) and or friends and ask them to join us. I can email you copies of membership forms for you to forward on to your neighbours/friends/contacts. I cannot recruit NEW members all on my own. The increase in membership is a credit to this committee in their support and to some of you in your support in the local neighbourhoods and at community events in raising our profile and recruiting new members, to which I thank you all. Just think, if we recruited one NEW member each, we would double the membership to 400 members at a stroke, now that would be an achievement!

PRESS & PUBLICITY REPORT. Mark Kennedy.

I have covered the role of Press & Publicity for the last 12 months. During this time the following has been achieved:

· Sponsored Newbury Park Lift Campaign Sheet –

Printed and distributed to all residents association members.

· Working with Peter Robinson, lead Campaign Co-ordinator on our committee, together he and I managed to persuade over 80 people to come out in support of the Lift campaign at Newbury Park station. Amongst those present was local MPs Lee Scott, Ilford North Mike Gapes, Ilford south Roger Evans, GLA member for Havering & Redbridge and of course the VIP’s our members. All came out for our protest in July 2013 last year for a photo shoot. I was a great turnout and demonstrated a united community spirit.

· Press Release and Photo re: Newbury Park Tube Lift Campaign featured in Ilford Recorder, Yellow Advertiser, Woodford Recorder and Wanstead & Woodford Guardian in mid July 2013, which was great publicity for the association.

On the Letters Page for Community comments of the Ilford Recorder we received a name credit as a SKNPRA residents association from Ron Jefferies, Chairman of Aldborough Hatch Defence Association, which is another local residents association serving residents in Aldborough Road North where he wrote in support of us on the Newbury Park lift campaign.

Local Radio station, TIME 107.5 FM also covered the campaign story and interviewed myself and Roger Evans, GLA Member for Havering & Redbridge which was broadcast on Saturday 13th July 2013, the day of the photo gathering at the tube station. The interview was broadcast to listeners in Barking & Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge.

A Poster promoting the SKNPRA was very kindly displayed in the shop window of Creeds Ironmongers shop in Seven Kings to attract new members for a few weeks.

A photo gathering promoting the non-access for lifts to Seven Kings Rail Station was held on Thursday 29th August 2013 at 09:30 am organised by Transport for All, Lianna Etkind, Campaign and outreach coordinator. I popped along for this 30 minute event and took part in the photo shoot alongside Cllrs Bob Littlewood and Stuart Bellwood and a handful of supporters. The BBC London Tonight camera news team were invited along to film the event which is centred on persuading Crossrail to perform a U turn in their policy and install lifts at the station. Lianna invited me to make a speech which was filmed to be broadcast on the Thursday London Tonight News alongside Bob’s speech. Sadly, my and Bob’s speech was not broadcast on the news, but it was exciting to take part and to highlight the non-lift issue at Seven Kings and Newbury Park stations.

Press Release and Photo re: Newbury Park Tube Lift Campaign featured in Ilford Recorder, as an updated story featuring in this paper in early 2014.

Ilford Swimming Pool Campaign – Photo Shoot outside the former Swimming pool site on Saturday 28th September 2013 – both I and my youngest daughter, Isabella took part in this event, which led to the photo being published in the Ilford Recorder, sadly my quote for the SKNPRA was not published.

Table Top Sale – Saturday 10th May 2014 – Venue: St John’s Church, St John’s Road – our committee booked a table for this event and through their efforts, we were able to recruit x10 NEW Members and raised our profile at this event. Well done to all that took part!

St Peter’s Church – Craft Fayre and Flower Festival – held on Saturday 28th June 2014 - we had a stand at this event for the first time and recruited x3 NEW members and again raised our profile in the community. This event showcased our display table display board, put together by Audrey and I must give her full credit for her efforts as the display caused a great deal of interest in our association and questions too. It was a great crowd puller and this helped us engage with the public, so thank you Audrey. Additional thanks for the helpers on the day that manned the stall, Ray Alavoine, Patricia Alavoine, Peter Robinson, Jayanti Parmar, Gill Gough, Shy Choudhary, Mosharaf Ashraf, Darrell Arjoon, Masaeb Ahmad, Rodney Foster, Bob Greenfield, Christina Greenfield and Susan Samuels.

Ilford War Memorial Day Gardens Open Day – Saturday 2nd August 2014 – We had a stand booked at this event Stands included exhibitions of library activities and displays by the Ilford War Memorial Action Group, Western Front Association, Royal British Legion. We are took part in this event to recruit new members and raise awareness of our association.

Planned - Future Publicity

· On-going campaign for Lifts at Seven Kings and Newbury Park

· General publicity promoting the association

· Leaflet Deliveries to recruit new members.

YOUR COMMITTEE. We were pleased that members of last year’s committee were all willing to stand again. We welcomed new member Andy Walker onto the committee. You will know of Andy’s untiring work in the ‘Save King George Hospital’ campaign ever since the threat to close the A&E department was imminent. We will continue to support this issue.

OPEN COMMITTEE MEETINGS. Our Chairman David Stephens wishes to invite all members to our regular committee meetings so that you can see how we work, put forward suggestions and hopefully, volunteer to help in the many activities with which we are involved.

Our next committee meeting is on Monday September 1st 8pm at St Johns Church Hall. We hope you will join us !

LONDON BOROUGH OF REDBRIDGE COUNCIL MEETINGS.

As you may know, the new Redbridge Council has discontinued Area Committee meetings at which members of the public could voice issues during the Public Forum. We have made good use of this contact in the past by speaking up on your behalf, with successful results. An alternative Forum is being discussed and we await a decision in order to continue our good relationship with Council.

Now it just remains for me to wish you all a happy holiday time wherever you are going or if you are staying at home, enjoy and relax in the sun (even when it rains it’s good for the garden).

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Martyn Joseph - On My Way.

Newbury Park Station: Step-free access photo-call

The Seven Kings and Newbury Park Residents' Association (SKNPRA) organised a photo-call to encourage Transport for London to carry on the work of installing access free lifts at Newbury Park Station, started in 2009 and abandoned due to lack of funds.  Over 60 folk arrived on Saturday 13th July including Lee Scott MP and Mike Gapes MP, Councillors, Revd Jon Evens and Revd Kate Lovesey, and GLA member Roger Evans.

Local activist, Ron Jeffries said: "What a terrific turnout at Newbury Park this morning - two MPs, two C of E priests, numerous Councillors - I counted some 62 in the photograph I took from the top of the ladder. This morning gave me hope for the future - that so many folk rose from their Saturday slumbers on possibly the hottest day of the year."

Peter Robinson, who organised the photoshoot for SKNPRA said: "I would like to thank everyone who attended this morning's photo-shoot at Newbury Park Underground station, to show their support of our campaign to get the work on the installation of lifts at the station completed, five years after it was started.

We knew at the outset that persuading London Underground that these lifts were not only necessary, but a good idea, was not going to be easy and the responses we have received from them so far only serve to strengthen our determination to keep this matter on everyone's agenda. Looking around the assembled crowd this morning, with Labour and Conservative MPs and Councillors, members of various Residents Associations and others confirms the wide support for the campaign across the whole community."

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Vashti Bunyan - Train Song.

SKNPRA AGM: Volunteering and achievements

These are my Chairman's remarks at tonight's Seven Kings & Newbury Park Resident's Association AGM, based on http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/resources/how-to-guides/volunteer/doc/benefits-of-volunteering.html:

Getting involved in the work of SKNPRA can make a real difference to your own life and the lives of those around you. Getting involved offers the chance to give something back to the community or make a difference to the people around you. It also provides an opportunity to develop new skills or build on existing experience and knowledge. Regardless of your motivation, getting involved will be challenging and rewarding.

Here are some reasons to volunteer:

Learn or develop a new skill 

Volunteering is the perfect vehicle to discover something you are really good at and develop a new skill. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow.  Learn as if you were to live forever.” It is never too late to learn new skills and there is no reason why you should ever stop adding to your knowledge. Planning and implementing a campaign on a local issue can, for example, develop goal setting, planning and budgeting skills. These are examples of skills that can enhance a career but you don’t have to develop skills with the intention of facilitating your career. The possibilities for developing and using new skills are many.  

Be part of your community

No man or woman is an island. We sometimes take for granted the community that we live in. People and societies co-depend on each other for survival but growth of such things as commercialism are seeing traditional values being disregarded. Communities are suffering due to the growth of selfishness in society but we can bridge that expanding gap through volunteering. Volunteering is ultimately about helping others and having an impact on people’s wellbeing. What better way is there to connect with your community and give a little back? As a volunteer with SKNPRA, you certainly return to society some of the benefits that society gives you. 

Motivation and sense of achievement

Fundamentally, volunteering is about giving your time, energy and skills freely.  Unlike many things in life there is choice involved in volunteering. As a volunteer you have made a decision to help on your own accord, free from pressure to act from others.  Volunteers predominantly express a sense of achievement and motivation, and this is ultimately generated from your desire and enthusiasm to help. Sometimes volunteers are regarded as do-gooders and those that hold that view also assume that one person can never make a difference. It may be true that no one person can solve all the world’s problems, but what you can do is make that little corner of the world where you live just that little bit better.

Boost your career options

A survey carried out by TimeBank through Reed Executive showed that among 200 of the UK’s leading businesses:

·       73% of employers would recruit a candidate with volunteering experience over one without

·        94% of employers believe that volunteering can add to skills

·        94% of employees who volunteered to learn new skills had benefited either by getting their first job, improving their salary, or being promoted

Also, if you are thinking of a career change then volunteering is a perfect way to explore new fields.

New interests and hobbies

Sometimes we do get locked into the “rat-race” of life and volunteering can give that escape to everyday routine and create a balance in our lives. Finding new interests and hobbies through volunteering can be fun, relaxing and energizing. The energy and sense of fulfilment can carry over to a work situation and sometimes helps to relieve tensions and foster new perspectives for old situations. Sometimes a volunteer experience can lead you to something you never even thought about or help you discover a hobby or interest you were unaware of. You can strengthen your personal/professional mission and vision by exploring opportunities and expanding your horizons. 

New experiences

Volunteering is a brilliant way to get life experience. Whatever your involvement with us, you will be experiencing the real world through hands-on work.

Meeting a diverse range of people

Volunteering brings together a diverse range of people from all backgrounds and walks of life. Both the recipients of your volunteer efforts and your co-workers can be a rich source of inspiration and an excellent way to develop your interpersonal skills.  Volunteering also offers an incredible networking opportunity. Not only will you develop lasting personal and professional relationships but it is also a great way to learn about people from all walks of life, different environments, and new industries. Networking is an exciting benefit of volunteering and you can never tell who you will meet or what new information you will learn and what impact this could have on your life.

Send a signal to your employer, teachers, friends and family…

People pay attention to your life outside the environment in which they have direct contact with you. For example, your employer would be interested in the activities that gives you a good work-life balance, just as academic institutions are interested in your extra-curricular activities. Volunteering reflects and supports a complete picture of you, and gives real examples of your commitment, dedication and interests. Show people what you are passionate about and maybe you will inspire them too!

Last year Peter Robinson volunteered to join the SKNPRA committee. As a result, this year we are able to tell you about the campaign for step-free access at Newbury Park Station which Peter is running. We could run that campaign without his volunteering. If you are prepared to get involved as he has done, there will be other campaigns and other issues that we can tackle which would simply not have been possible without you. So, for all these reasons when we come to elect our committee do please think seriously about volunteering.

Audrey Shorer, our Secretary, reported on our achievements in 2012/13:

Our biggest success last year was to get the public toilets in Seven Kings Park re-opened. They will be managed and maintained by Redbridge Vision and should be open 7 days a week. We are aware that some Sundays they have not been open but this has been brought to the notice of Vision and will be closely monitored. They are closed at the moment because the hot water boiler failed and is being replaced.

In September, the new park bench was installed in Seven Kings Park near the bridge  at a cost of £480.00 plus an engraved Traffolyte plate at £15.  The bench is made of very durable recycled polystyrene.  Redbridge Vision installed it free of charge. The Ilford Recorder did a photo shoot of the event.

In November we organised a protest meeting outside the park gate at Beddington Road against Redbridge Council’s decision to leave the park open at night. This has since been rescinded and the gates are now locked at seasonal closing times.

Our Chairman has attended meetings of the Seven Kings Ward Panel to report problems of drug dealing in Norfolk & Elgin Roads,  He has also spoken at Area 5 meetings to speak on a variety of issues on behalf of the residents.

I have reported to our Community Ward Police, problems of car repairs in Farnham Road which was dealt with. I also reported to the Cleansing Department, pallets and rubbish dumped in Seven Kings Water which was cleared.  Also reported on line via Redbridge i several incidents of fly tipping, litter and dog fouling all of which have been dealt with promptly by Redbridge Council.

The £100.00 which you voted to donate to Seven Kings Park Users Group was a great help with the initial setting up of the group towards the cost of postage, stationary and a Laminator.  The Chairman David Wynne-Fitzgerald thanked our Association for their generosity.

The Community Day on 18^th May in St John's garden was a great success with several new members signing up. We would certainly like to repeat this next year.

And finally I would like to thank all those people who help with delivering the Newsletter which cuts the cost of postage.

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King Crimson - Epitaph.

Debate: Has fiction lost its faith?

There is a very interesting debate currently under way about how and if belief figures into contemporary fiction. The debate to date has been summarised well by David Griffith who explains how the debate began with Paul Elie’s New York Times Op-Ed piece, “Has Fiction Lost Its Faith?”:

"Elie reveals something I had never known about Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange, one of the first works of literature I read on my own: In a 1973 lecture (over a decade after the book’s publication), Burgess “describes his best seller as a work about free will written from a Catholic perspective.” Elie goes on to write:

This, in short, is how Christian belief figures into literary fiction in our place and time: as something between a dead language and a hangover. Forgive me if I exaggerate. But if any patch of our culture can be said to be post-Christian, it is literature.

Less than a month later, Image’s Gregory Wolfe, writing in the Wall Street Journal, rebuts Elie’s exaggeration. Citing over two decades of experience publishing a who’s who of what he calls “believing writers” (Annie Dillard, Marilynne Robinson, Elie Wiesel, Mark Helprin, and Mary Karr (a Catholic convert), Wolfe asserts:

The myth of secularism triumphant in the literary arts is just that—a myth. Yet making lists of counterexamples does not get at a deeper matter. It has to do with the way that faith takes on different tones and dimensions depending on the culture surrounding it.

I see it both ways.

I agree with Elie that these days, when writers reference scripture and theology, or evoke explicitly religious imagery and symbols, it often falls on deaf ears and blind eyes. I also agree that we’ll never again see a confluence of writers like O’Connor, Merton, and Percy having such a broad cultural impact.

I’ve found sustenance in the community of writers and readers of Image and enjoy acceptance among a group of writers my age who are not religious.

That renaissance of Catholic writing I once hoped for may not have happened, but however secularized our culture has become, issues surrounding faith have not been, and will never be banished from literature.

Karen Swallow Prior, Professor of English at Liberty University, writing in response to Elie’s article, is excellent on this point. Prior, whose scholarly work centers on the novel, reminds us that as a form, the novel has always been about unbelief.

She writes that the novel “was the outgrowth of the passing of the age of belief into the age of unbelief…. It is the form of an unbelieving epoch, even if it took a few centuries for that latent feature to surface.”

In other words, the kind of search for meaning that the novel offers has, over time, naturally and understandably drifted away from religious ways of understanding who were are and why we are here, just as the culture has.

Perhaps this is why I, a writer with an MFA in fiction, have turned almost exclusively to the personal essay and memoir. My first publication appeared in the “Confessions” section of Image, a section that is set apart from the “Essays” section. While I never asked about that distinction, it seems clear to me that it is a nod to spiritual autobiography, the genre started by St. Augustine.

My sense is that confessional nonfiction helps the writer (and the reader) to examine his conscience."

One thing to note about the limitations of this debate to date is that it is primarily US-centric; where is the mention of writers such as Rhidian Brook, P.D. James, David Lodge, Sara Maitland, Nicholas Mosley, James Robertson, Salley Vickers, Niall Williams and Tim Winton, for example? This same focus is found in the 'golden age' of Flannery O'Connor and Walker Percy to which some of this debate looks back without much by way of reference to the European Modern Catholic Novelists, the Inklings, Shusaku Endo and William Golding, among others. 

Second, its focus is predominantly about 'literary' fiction and therefore it also misses much that is viewed as 'popular' fiction e.g. John Grisham, Susan Howatch, Mary Doria Russell, Piers Paul Read, Ann Rice and Morris West, among others.

Third, there is limited mention of the extent to which theological themes and practices of faith continue to be explored in contemporary fiction. The work of Douglas Coupland or novels such as Patrick Gale's A Perfectly Good Man and Rachel Joyce's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry being a few examples.

Fourth, there is the extent to which novelists have been re-examining the life of Christ and his followers through novels such as: Jim Crace's Quarantine, Norman Mailer's The Gospel According to the Son, Philip Pullman's The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, Ann Rice's Christ the Lord series, Colm Tóibín's The Testament of Mary, and Niall Williams' John, among others. Jesus remains a figure of fascination for many contemporary novelists.

I would also want to add that in my view some of these novelists - such as Nicholas Mosley, Marilynne Robinson and Tim Winton - stand shoulder to shoulder with past greats such as O'Connor, Greene, Endo, Golding and others. We are not therefore entirely bereft of great novelists dealing consistently with issues of faith.

As a result, I line up with Greg Wolfe in this debate when he states that "the myth of secularism triumphant in the literary arts is just that — a myth."

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Michael McDermott - Great American Novel.

Celebration of Poetry

Our ‘Celebration of Poetry’, as promised in our publicity, was a wonderfully varied evening of poetry supplemented by music and storytelling with both local and published poets performing their work. More photos of the event can be seen by clicking here.

To set the scene, and before reading a selection of my own poems, I quoted from Malcolm Guite's Faith, Hope and Poetry:

“Shakespeare set poetry the comparatively modest task of ‘holding a mirror up to nature’, that is, helping us to see our society and ourselves more clearly, reflecting our known realities back to us. But sometimes (and very often in the works of Shakespeare), the mirror of poetry does more than reflect what we have already seen. Sometimes that mirror becomes a window, a window into the mystery which is both in and beyond nature, a ‘casement opening on perilous seas’. From that window sometimes shines a more than earthly light that suddenly transforms, transfigures all the earthly things it falls upon. Through that window, when it is opened for us by the poet’s art, we catch a glimpse of that ‘Beauty always ancient always new’, who made and kindled our imagination in the beginning and whose love draws us beyond the world.”

Jane Grell gave us Caribbean poetry, storytelling, Moses poems and a Hopi Indian prayer/poem. Jane was born and grew up on the island of Dominica in the Eastern Caribbean.  She started her teaching career in an all boys Comprehensive in Hackney, teaching French, before switching to teaching English to bilingual students in Waltham Forest. It was as a teacher of bilingual students that she discovered the power of storytelling. For her storytelling, Jane draws heavily from the African-Caribbean Oral Tradition of her childhood.  She has worked extensively as a poet and storyteller in teacher training establishments as well as primary and secondary schools in Britain. She was a teacher-secondee to BBC School Radio as an adviser on the multicultural content of its output.  While at the BBC, she also wrote and presented stories for schools' programmes. Jane has publications in Hawthorn Press, Scholastic and many poetry anthologies.

Malcolm Guite read work including 'My poetry is jamming your machine' and two of his O antiphons, before singing 'The Green Man' and 'Angels Unawares'. He ended with his recent iOde for his iPhone. Malcolm is a poet, a singer-songwriter, a priest, a chaplain, a teacher and an author. He plays in Cambridge rock band Mystery Train, and lectures widely in England and USA on poetry and theology. His collection of sonnets for the church year, Sounding the Seasons, is due to be published this December by Canterbury Press. Luci Shaw has said of him, ‘I recommend the work of Malcolm Guite, an English poet and Anglican priest who plumbs the depths of poetry and religious faith like a true metaphysical.’

Alan Hitching showed images of two pottery creations and shared the poems linked to these pieces. Alan is a poet, potter and priest. He says that poetry and pottery are like two languages for him. Words he has used all his life in poetry to express feelings and faith, the other language of clay he has only over the last 15 years since he was challenged to learn. Joy has come when the two languages speak on the same topic at the same time, expressing together his thoughts and feelings on subjects. 

Jenny Houghton gave us poems for each season. Jenny has been writing poetry since her teenage years, initially personal pieces. Then in response to an article in her church’s magazine in 1999, she submitted a short poem to a Christian publishing house, and was surprised but pleased when it was accepted for publication. Further submissions were regularly included in their poetry anthologies. Writing in a range of styles including verses, traditional rhyme and more abstract narrative, her work often includes wordplay and structural patterns. These occur instinctively as she has had no formal instruction in poetry composition. Her poems often reflect her Christian faith and she believes her ability is a true gift. Jenny first read one of her poems in public at a Good Friday service in 2011 but was initially concerned about sharing her work in this way. However her experience of performing in choirs, drama, dance, and creating craft work reminded her that no art form is truly complete without an audience to appreciate it!

Tim Cunningham gave us a selection of his poems, primarily drawn from his third collection entitled Kyrie. These are characterised by gentle humour and acute observation. Tim was born in Limerick in 1942 and has had a varied life history having worked for a brewery, in local government, with the National Coal Board and in education plus having lived in Limerick, Tipperary, Dublin, Trowbridge, London, Newark (Delaware), and, presently, Billericay. He has had four collections of his poetry published: Don Marcelino's Daughter (2001), Unequal Thirds (2006), Kyrie (2008), and most recently Seige, published to coincide with his 70^th birthday and consisting of a selection of visceral, roots poems taken from his three previous selections with a sprinkling of new work. Adrian Mitchell has written that, 'Tim Cunningham's poems are as various and fascinating as the animals in Noah's Ark. He has a most musical ear, a keen eye and an open heart. His aim is true. He writes beautiful poems.'

Thanks from Kathryn Robinson and I, as organisers, to all those who took part and to St Paul's Woodford Bridge for hosting us. 

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Van Morrison - Rave On John Donne.

Celebration of Poetry

Together with Kathryn Robinson, Performing Arts Adviser for the Barking Episcopal Area, I am organising a poetry evening as part of the Woodford Festival and Arts Festival for the Barking Episcopal Area.

This Celebration of Poetry will be on Friday 12th October, 7.30pm, St Paul's Woodford Bridge, Cross Road, Woodford Green, Essex IG8 8BT. There is no admission charge and the evening will include local poets, published poets, musical/storytelling interludes and a showing of the 'Run with the Fire' Olympic-themed digital art exhibition. Among those reading their poetry are: Tim Cunningham, Jane Grell, Malcolm Guite, Alan Hitching, Jennifer Houghton and myself, among others. 

Through commission4mission I am also involved with two other events for these Festivals:
 

The Big Draw – Saturday 6^th October, 12.00 noon – 5.00pm, St Mary’s Woodford, 207 High Road, South Woodford, London E18 2PA

Drawing workshop with hints and tips from commission4mission artists.

Art exhibition - Saturday 13th October, 10.00am - 7.30pm, The Atrium, All Saints Woodford Wells, Inmans Row, Woodford Green, IG8 0NH

No admission charge. Exhibition of art works by members of commission4mission, an arts organisation which aims to encourage churches to commission contemporary art. Includes the 'Run with the Fire' Olympic-themed digital art exhibition. This exhibition will include work by Alan Hitching, Mark Lewis, Janet Roberts, Francesca Ross, Henry Shelton, Joy Rousell Stone, Peter Webb and myself.

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Tim Cunningham - Kyrie.

A most interesting period of British stained glass

St John's Seven Kings is mentioned in a new Wikipedia entry for the artist Louis B. Davis. Davis designed the Nativity window at St John's, originally located in our baptistry and now part of our sanctuary.

The new entry has been compiled by researcher Gordon Lawson as part of his research into the work of Christopher Whall and his followers. Lawson started with Whall himself:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Whall

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_works_by_Christopher_Whall

 

This led him to Whall's daughter, Veronica:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Whall

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_works_of_Veronica_Whall

 

He then moved to Edward Woore, Margaret Chilton and Marjorie Kemp and Karl Parsons:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Woore

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_by_Edward_Woore

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_works_by_Margaret_Chilton

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_works_by_Marjorie_Kemp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Parsons

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_of_Karl_Parsons

 

He plans similar works on Caroline Townsend  Mary Hutchinson, Arnold Robinson, Paul Woodroffe and a few others so that when he has finished he will have set out a reasonable source of research information on a most interesting period of British Stained Glass.

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Florence and the Machine - No Light, No Light.