David Crumm

David Crumm is known nationwide as a top journalist covering religion, spirituality and cross-cultural issues.

A global correspondent

In nearly 40 years of journalism, Crumm has reported from the U.S., the Middle East, Rome, Canterbury and Asia, compiling a body of work that has been honored with a long list of awards and fellowships. Among the most important, Crumm has won six of the annual Wilbur awards for the best column on religion in a major newspaper. Among his fellowships, he has traveled and worked with the Washington D.C.-based East-West Center, focusing on coverage of Asia, as well as the University of Michigan Knight-Wallace Fellowship for mid-career research.

Shaping the next wave of media

In 2007, Crumm and Publisher John Hile co-founded ReadTheSpirit online magazine and publishing house, a leading innovator in online, digital and print media about religion and cross-cultural issues. As Editor in Chief, Crumm conducts the signature interviews that appear each week in the online magazine—nearly 300 in-depth conversations, so far, with leading figures ranging from former President Jimmy Carter and Deepak Chopra to Barbara Brown Taylor and Rob Bell. Crumm is overall editor of the publishing house and often writes introductions for many of our ReadTheSpirit books. His own book, Our Lent: Things We Carry, has been extensively updated and serves as a popular 40-day Lenten reader for individuals, groups or entire congregations.

Sharing fresh ideas

He also is involved in many pilot projects to improve media, including the development of a statewide network of professional communicators in Michigan, co-sponsored by the state’s Interfaith Leadership Council. Now in its third year, that Michigan media network helps to strengthen connections among newspaper, magazine, radio and television reporters with the state’s diverse religious and educational communities. Crumm has traveled widely as a speaker, consultant, workshop leader and retreat designer. He talks frequently with other journalists, especially in radio and occasional TV interviews.

From film and food to comics, too

He has been a film critic since the 1970s, when he first trained in the field as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan. He also has written extensively about other pop culture topics, including food, literature, children’s books and comics and graphic novels. David Crumm lives in Michigan with his wife Amy and two cairn terriers. They have two grown children.

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