OUR FEARS PLAYED OUT IN ONE TINY TOWN
EXPLORE ‘CITY OF PEACE’—Few readers will recognize the name of the real-life small town where Henry Brinton’s new cozy mystery unfolds: historic Occoquan, which sits along a river that feeds the vast Chesapeake watershed. However, regular readers of our online magazine will recognize Henry’s byline as a contributing columnist who explores the challenges of faith and contemporary life. Now, Henry has expanded his canvas to provide a vivid portrait of an entire town that becomes a powder-keg because of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim anxieties. Please, read our Cover Story, an interview with Henry, in which he talks about why he decided to make these hot-button issues the foundation of his mystery. And, please, share this news with a friend who enjoys discovering new regional cozy mystery writers.
.
RESPONDING TO HATE
OUR ‘INBOX’ OVERFLOWS with helpful links and statements and ideas for responding to the tragedy in New Zealand. Clearly, our entire community of writers, editors and authors is heartbroken, once again. We kicked off 2019 with an appeal, headlined: Meet a Muslim this year! We are doing all we can to encourage compassionate community-wide appreciation of diversity.
‘O GOD, We Grieve the Hatred’—Contemporary hymn writer Carolyn Winfrey Gillette immediately released new lyrics to a traditional Christian hymn—with permission to use this moving hymn. To learn more about Gillette, you’ll be inspired by this interview with her that we published several years ago.
Meet This Muslim—Victor Begg, author of the new Our Muslim Neighbors, has a long list of public appearances coming up in Florida and Michigan. If you’re near that part of the country, please check out Victor’s schedule, stop by one of these events and make a new friend.
.
.
GOT BLOCKCHAIN?
HEARD OF BITCOIN? NOW, THERE’S BLOCKCHAIN—”Blockchain for publishing” is one of the hottest ideas in Spring 2019, sparking headlines in Publishers Weekly magazine and speculative stories involving The New York Times staff. In this week’s Front Edge Publishing column, Editor David Crumm has written a quick, newsy overview that we describe as “Bitcoin for Publishing 101.” The column is packed with short nuggets to help you grasp the basics of this emerging concept, including the high hopes and dire warnings. For those of you who love to learn about the technical side of publishing—this column will make you the resident expert on blockchain with friends and colleagues. Think of it as a sci-fi snapshot of Worlds to Come. Enjoy.
.
.
HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS
Play Ball!’ MARCH 28—Contributing Columnist Martin Davis argues that Opening Day amounts to an annual religious experience for millions of Americans. Want to read more on the spiritual wonderment of baseball? Check out Rodney Curtis’s novel Hope’s Diamond.
LENT
LENT for 2-billion-plus Christians: Stephanie Fenton’s column on Lent also has a recommendation of our popular book for the season, Our Lent: Things We Carry.
Want to see all the upcoming Holidays & Festivals? Visit www.InterfaithHolidays.com
Want to enjoy favorite films with your Lenten journey this year? Check out the next news item …
.
.
.
Faith & Film
ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with discussion guides to films. This resource is used coast-to-coast by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.
Among Ed’s free reviews and columns are:
- THE KID WHO WOULD BE KING—Ed writes, “The Arthurian legend is transferred to modern England in this tale of a group of children called on to thwart the plans of an evil enchantress. It is the kind of tale that appeals to every kid who has ever turned a towel or drape into a cape.” (4 out of 5 stars)
- CAPTAIN MARVEL—Ed writes, “Brie Larson shows that she has the Right Stuff to suit up and rocket off into the universe to save it.” (4 stars)
- THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND—If you’ve got access to Netflix, then you can watch this terrific film today. Ed gives it 5 out of 5 stars and urges us not to miss it.
- HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD—Writer-director Dean DeBlois continues his masterly transference to the screen of author Cressida Cowell’s wonderful universe of Vikings and fire-breathing dragons in this, the last of DreamWorks Animation’s trilogy.
- FIVE FEET APART—Ed gives this romantic drama—involving the challenges of cystic fibrosis—4 stars.
- CAPERNAUM—Ed gives 4.5 stars to this Lebanese drama that has received high praise from film festivals, including Cannes. It’s a deeply challenging look at the plight of children, in this case in the slums of Beirut, who fall through all safety nets and wind up struggling for survival.
- GLASS—Ed reviews the third part of M. Night Shyamalan’s trilogy—and suggests viewers take time to see the first two parts so they can understand this one. (3.5 out of 5 stars)
- ISN’T IT ROMANTIC? Todd Strauss-Schulson’s new feature is an enjoyable satire of the romantic comedy genre. (4 stars)
- FREE SOLO—Directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi take us inside the world of climbing in their Oscar-nominated film. (4 out of 5 stars) (NOTE—Check your TV listings. This film debuts on the National Geographic Channel on Sunday March 3.)
- IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK—Ed gives this movie 5 stars and writes, “Based on James Baldwin’s acclaimed 1974 novel of the same name, Barry Jenkins’ film is a paean to love set in a society permeated by ugly pr
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.