Episode 1: Welcome from Charlotte Donlon—Host, Writer, and Spiritual Director for Writers

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Summary

Show Notes (More Show Notes available at ourfaithinwriting.com) Our Faith in Writing explores the intersection of writing and faith through conversations about the writing process, the reading life, contemplative practices, and more. Host Charlotte Donlon is a writer and a spiritual director for writers, and she believes writing and reading help us belong to ourselves, others, God, and the world. Subscribe to Our Faith in Writing wherever you listen to podcasts, and don’t forget to rate and review the show letting us know how these conversations are helping you feel less alone in your writing life and your reading life. Our Faith in Writing is a podcast that explores the intersection of writing and faith through conversations about the writing process, the reading life, contemplative practices, and more. Welcome to Our Faith in Writing. I'm your host, Charlotte Donlon. Our Faith in Writing is a podcast that explores the intersection of writing and faith through conversations about the writing process, the reading life, contemplative practices, and more. I'm a writer and a certified spiritual director for writers, and I believe writing and reading help us belong to ourselves, others, God, and the world. When we write, we make connections between our own experiences and ideas and others' experiences and ideas. Writers put words around their joy, sorrow, delight, and brokenness and offer it to readers. Readers find containers for their joy, sorrow, delight, and brokenness within the essays, stories, and poems by writers who help them feel less alone. When I talk about faith with my spiritual direction clients, my friends, my kids, and anyone else, I usually talk about it within the framework of belonging to ourselves, others, God, and the world. This is also the framework for my first book: The Great Belonging: How Lonelienss Leads Us to Each Other. We were created to belong. And we're all figuring out how to deepen our belongings and decrease our sense of loneliness. Reading and writing are some of the primary ways I experience greater belonging. The writing life is so closely woven into my faith that I often don't know where one ends and the other begins. When I read poems, they become prayers. When I write an essay, it becomes a prayer. When I have a conversation with a writer during a spiritual direction session, it becomes a prayer. I think this is true--to some extent--for most readers and writers who care about the intersection of art and faith. The writing life is a full life. Sometimes we can be overwhelmed by everything we need and want to do so we can be the writer we want to be. Establish a writing rhythm. Read good books. Build an audience. Serve our readers. Continue developing our craft. And more. If we are writers of faith, we can also be overwhelmed by everything we need and want to do so we can have meaningful connections with ourselves, others, God, and the world. Pray. Journal. Worship. Practice silence and solitude. And more. It can all feel very disjointed. When I meet with writers for spiritual direction, I help them create space to be curious about the presence of God and the ways writing deepens their belongings to the self, others, God, and the world. Noticing God’s presence in their life, their writing, and the world around them leads to a greater sense of integration and provides insights into the creative process and various aspects of the writing life. This is what I want for Our Faith in Writing podcast listeners, too. I want to create space for you to be curious about the presence of God and the ways reading and writing deepen your belongings. I want you to notice God's presence in your life and your creative work. I want you to flourish and be more of who you were made to be. We already have some wonderful Our Faith in Writing episodes with amazing guests. And more are on the way. I'm scheduling new guests who will be talking about how writing intersects with faith and how reading and writing help them feel less alone. Thanks so much for joining us for these conversations. I'd love your feedback whenever you have any to offer. You can email me at [email protected] or connect with me on Twitter and Instagram at @charlottedonlon. Charlotte Donlon is a writer, a spiritual director for writers, and the founder and host of the Our Faith in Writing podcast and website. Charlotte’s writing and work are rooted in noticing how art helps us belong to ourselves, others, God, and the world. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Curator, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Catapult, The Millions, Mockingbird, and elsewhere. Her first book is The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other. You can subscribe to her newsletter and connect with her onTwitter and Instagram.

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