Tag Archives: Madeleine L’Engle

An Author Who Has Changed My Life, Frederick Buechner, Has Died (1926-2022)

Posted on August 17, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

On Saturday, just as I was waiting to go onto a church platform to officiate a wedding, I heard that Frederick Buechner had passed away. At 96 years old, the news did not come as a surprise. And though he … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Reviews | Tagged Anne Lamott, Annie Dillard, autoethnography, Bebb, Frederick Buechner, Life Writing, Madeleine L'Engle, Marilynne Robinson, Memoir, Rachel Held Evans, research, spirituality, The Book of Bebb, The Remarkable Ordinary, The Sacred Journey | 9 Comments

A Grief Observed: A Talk on the Anniversary of My Parents’ Deaths, with C.S. Lewis

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

Here is a little piece on a special day: the anniversary of the death of my father and brother on a villainously cold night when I was fourteen, and on the eve of the anniversary of my mother’s passing in … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Reflections | Tagged A Grief Observed, academics, C.S. Lewis, Death, Douglas Gresham, fatherhood, grief, love, Madeleine L'Engle, mourning, orpan tales, parenting, Teaching, The Problem of Pain, The Shape of Water | 6 Comments

The 2021 Mythopoeic Awards Winners

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

At the virtual Mythcon 51 earlier in the fall, there was a good bit of buzz about the Mythopoeic Awards. As readers will know, I pay attention to the awards–so much so that this year they have stimulated a limited … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged Bodleian Library, C.S. Lewis, Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, fantasy literature, Frank Herbert, Frederick Buechner, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, John Garth, John Rateliff, Kathryn Hume, L.M. Montgomery, Lev Grossman, Madeleine L'Engle, Marilynne Robinson, Mythopoeic Award, Science Fiction, Shakespeare, Ursula K. Le Guin, Verlyn Flieger | 7 Comments

Ursula K. Le Guin’s Manifesto Against Genre Snobbery

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

One of our greatest speculative fiction writers, Ursula K. Le Guin, has never been one to turn down a fight. A genius in two of my favourite genres, science fiction and fantasy–especially planetary SciFi and magic-world fantasy–Le Guin has also … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature Friday, Memorable Quotes, On Writing, Thoughtful Essays | Tagged fantasy, Frankenstein, genre, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, Madeleine L'Engle, Margaret Atwood, Science Fiction, SF, speculative fiction, The Birthday of the World, The Hainish Cycle, The Lord of the Rings, Ursula K. Le Guin | 17 Comments

A Conversation about Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow with Michael Boyce (Geek4 Podcast) and Emily Strand (Potterversity Podcast)

Posted on June 11, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

I recently had a chance to sit down with a couple of thoughtful and funny folks to talk about a book that was entirely absent from my bookshelf. Emily Strand is an artist, Roman Catholic liturgist, and American educator, well … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged A Canticle for Leibowitz, C.S. Lewis, Emily Strand, Geek 4 Podcast, Harry Potter, James Blish, Madeleine L'Engle, Mary Doria Russell, Michael Boyce, Potterversity, Refuge 31 Films, Science Fiction, The Children of God, The Science Fiction Makers, The Sparrow, Walter Miller | 4 Comments

“The Science Fiction Makers” Documentary–and I am In It!

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

As I am a perennially awkward person, I don’t mind admitting that I have always wanted to be on one of those History Channel-type documentaries. True, I hardly ever watch them as it seems when I am in the mood … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Andrew Wall, C.S. Lewis, Diana Pavlac Glyer, documentary, Emily Strand, Madeleine L'Engle, Refuge 31 Films, The Science Fiction Makers, Victor Rousseau | 18 Comments

Texmoot 2021 Call for Papers and Conversations (Feb 13th, 2021)

Posted on January 15, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

One advantage of our online environment is that we now have some options for attending conferences that we would otherwise miss. On Feb 6th, for example, is the free Urbana Theological Seminary online Tolkien conference, with guest speakers Carlie W. … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged anime, C.S. Lewis, Harry Potter, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Madeleine L'Engle, Signum University, speculative fiction, TexMoot | Leave a comment

2020: My Year in Books: The Infographic

Posted on January 7, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

Happy New Year everyone! I will have some fun putting together the data in an upcoming post, including some new charts. I love charts. Meanwhile, I wanted to share the Goodreads “My Year in Books” infographic. I’m pleased to say … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged Anne Rice, C.S. Lewis, Chaim Potok, Charlotte Brontë, Flannery O'Connor, Frederick Buechner, Goodreads, Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, L.M. Montgomery, Madeleine L'Engle, Marilynne Robinson, Octavia Butler, Reading, Shūsaku Endō, Stephen King | 2 Comments

Did I Assign the Right Lines from Paradise Lost? A Rebuke from C.S. Lewis and a Christian Literature Reading List

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

For the first time, I am teaching Paradise Lost–beyond the normal references that come up in English literature, C.S. Lewis courses, and talks about religious history. I am using it to begin an undergraduate course on Christian Literature (after reading Donne‘s … Continue reading →