PODCAST · religion
Rewrite Radio
by Rewrite Radio
Rewrite Radio is the podcast of the Festival of Faith & Writing, a biennial celebration of literature and belief in Grand Rapids, MI.Festival is the flagship initiative of the Calvin Center for Faith & Writing (CCFW), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit fostering scholarship & community around the literary arts.
Episodes
-
Episode #82: Anne Bogel, Byron Borger, and Karen Swallow Prior
On this episode of Rewrite Radio, Anne Bogel, Byron Borger, and Karen Swallow Prior join Jennifer Holberg to explore how reading shapes empathy, humility, and imagination. Drawing from bookselling, teaching, and curation, this lively conversation considers why stories matter in distracted,...
-
Episode #81: Suzanne Stabile
“Enneagram godmother” Suzanne Stabile joins poet and pastor Sam Gutierrez at the 2024 Festival of Faith & Writing for a wide-ranging conversation on wisdom, creativity, and compassion. Stabile reflects on writing, faith, and the Enneagram as a spiritual tool for deeper self-understanding…
more -
Episode #80: S.J. Dahlman
In this episode of Rewrite Radio, journalist and author Jim Dahlman reflects on the perceived tension between faith and journalism. Drawing on stories from his reporting and writing, Dahlman explores objectivity, curiosity, and the moral responsibilities of storytelling—inviting listeners to see...
-
Episode #79: Matthew Dickerson
What is the source of power in fantasy literature? Listen along as author Matthew Dickerson investigates the magical universes of C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, and J.R.R. Tolkien, discussing how each author portrays magic as power, with inevitably severe implications regarding good and evil. In an...
-
Episode #78: Laleh Khadivi
Can AI create art? And is that the question we ought to be asking? On this episode of Rewrite Radio, author and filmmaker Laleh Khadivi urges listeners to remember, in an age of increasing artistic blurriness, the necessity of the individual human being’s creativity. She links the creative…
more -
Episode #77: Peter Ho Davies
In this episode, Dr. Sabrina Lee sits down with acclaimed novelist Peter Ho Davies for a wide-ranging conversation about craft, identity, and the stories that shape us. Together they explore several of his books, diving into themes of shame, race, joke-telling, and what it means to write from the...
-
Episode #76: Christian Wiman
This week on Rewrite Radio, poet and essayist Christian Wiman explores what it means to stay spiritually alert in a world shadowed by loneliness and lit by sudden joy. Drawing on poems by Wallace Stevens, Anne Carson, and his own collections—including Zero at the Bone—Wiman reflects on beauty as…
more -
Episode #75: Sonya Bilocerkowycz
Situating herself in the contexts of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Ukrainian diaspora, Sonya Bilocerkowycz presents the roles and responsibilities of the reader, writer and artist in wartime. Bilocerkowycz emphasises the power writers have in influencing memory and narrative through their work…
more -
Episode #74: Amy Julia Becker and Hilary Yancey
Both mothers of disabled children, authors Amy Julia Becker and Hilary Yancey discuss their experiences raising kids while navigating questions of identity and community. Amy Julia Becker helps people reimagine the good life through her writing and speaking on disability, faith, and culture. She…
more -
#73: Jemar Tisby
What's next in our fight for racial justice? Interviewed by Craig Mattson, author and scholar Jemar Tisby (@jemartisby) discusses his helpful framework for justice efforts—the lenses of awareness, relationship, and commitment. He tackles how to apply these concepts to our day-to-day life with...
-
#72: Karen Swallow Prior
This week on Rewrite Radio, author and scholar Karen Swallow Prior reflects on the power of imagination—not just as an individual gift, but as a force that shapes communities, cultures, and faith traditions. With insight, humor, and historical perspective, she invites us to notice the stories and...
-
#71: Elan Babchuck
What happens when old models of power no longer serve us? In this episode of Rewrite Radio, Rabbi Elan Babchuck draws from his book Picking Up the Pieces to explore “Mosaic leadership,” a vision rooted in humility, resilience, and community. Through stories of Moses, modern innovators, and even…
more -
#70: M.T. Anderson
In Episode 70 of Rewrite Radio, acclaimed author M.T. Anderson explores the sacred and the strange through riveting tales of stolen religious artifacts—from Nepal to Cambodia to the tomb of Saint Nicholas. With wit and insight, he examines the power of objects, cultural identity, and why…
more -
#69: Rachel Pieh Jones
On this episode of Rewrite Radio, Rachel Pieh Jones joins us to explore how writing cultivates the humility, curiosity, and delight necessary to create a sense of home when nowhere, or everywhere, feels like home. Jones is a prolific author whose essays have appeared in publications such as…
more -
#68: Rebecca Sheir
In Episode #68 of Rewrite Radio, Rebecca Sheir shares how folktales entertain, inspire, and unite us in this noisy, high-tech world, and act as a bridge between cultures and communities. Rebecca Sheir is the author of the Circle Round books, The Tale of the Unwelcome Guest, A Taste of Honey, The...
-
#67: Virginia Stem Owens
In Episode #67 of Rewrite Radio, Virginia Stem Owens muses on the difficulties, disappointments, and goodness of real communities. She encourages her audience to seek genuine “local habitations” over abstract “airy nothings.” This talk was recorded live at the 1994 Festival of Faith & Writing....
-
#66: Thomas Lynch
In Rewrite Radio Episode #66, Thomas Lynch discusses faith, poetry, and their transformative powers. He asks us to see others as pilgrims on various roads of belief—all searching after a common table. Theme music is Modern Attempt by TrackTribe and June 11 by Andrew Starr.
-
#65: Clare Vanderpool
In episode #65 of Rewrite Radio, Newbery Medal winner Clare Vanderpool shares how stories transform us and how to maintain our most honest selves. She also sings a few yodel-ay-hee’s from her book Moon Over Manifest. Theme music is Modern Attempt by TrackTribe and June 11 by Andrew Starr.
-
#64: Jennifer Trafton
In episode #64 of Rewrite Radio, Jennifer Trafton teaches her listeners and students that play is at the heart of creativity. She draws on her experiences as a child and in the classroom to invite writers to play so that the idea brings something new to the world. Theme music is Modern Attempt by...
-
#63: Diane Glancy and Sefi Atta
In episode #63 of Rewrite Radio, Sefi Atta and Diane Glancy offer their own thoughts on writing across the borders of religion, culture, language and more. Theme music is Modern Attempt by TrackTribe and June 11 by Andrew Starr.
-
#62: Jeff Zentner
In episode #62 of Rewrite Radio, Jeff Zentner tells how he invited his characters to live inside his head for months in order to let them tell their own stories. He encourages listeners to write who fascinates them and that the story threads will follow. Theme music is Modern Attempt by…
more -
#61: Brady Udall
In Rewrite Radio episode #61, Brady Udall offers his thoughts on teaching how to write a novel as opposed to short story or poetry. He distinguishes the long-lived popularity of novels in today’s society and reminds us that the novel’s endurance lies in its messy, magnificent sprawl. This episode...
-
#60: Anbara Salam
In Rewrite Radio episode #60, Dr. Anbara Salam teaches us more about the human interest in cults, how they are represented, and how they reveal our deepest vulnerabilities and anxieties.
-
#59: Gloria Pinkney
In episode #59 of Rewrite Radio, author and minister Gloria Pinkney retells stories of how God answered her prayers through a reoccurring bumper sticker, through a yellow tow truck outside the LaGuardia Airport, and through many other signs. Listen as she encourages others to take time for God…
more -
#58: Mitali Perkins
In episode #58 of Rewrite Radio, Mitali Perkins offers five truths about fiction. Listen as she thinks of stories as windows and mirrors that teach us to make things right. Theme music is Modern Attempt by TrackTribe and June 11 by Andrew Starr.
-
#57: Helena Maria Viramontes
In episode #57 of Rewrite Radio, Helena María Viramontes shares her thoughts on prayer, compassion, and love to form a deeper connection with others. Theme music is Modern Attempt by TrackTribe and June 11 by Andrew Starr.
-
#56 Doris Betts
In Rewrite Radio episode #56, Doris Betts reads from her novel, Souls Raised from the Dead, at the 1994 Festival of Faith & Writing. This particular chapter involves a quick-witted conversation between the two grandmothers of the main character, Mary Grace, who is currently in the hospital. Theme...
-
#55 Dan Taylor
In Rewrite Radio Episode #55, writer, speaker, and traveler Daniel Taylor discusses the healing power of stories and the way stories make us a different person.Theme music is Modern Attempt by TrackTribe and June 11 by Andrew Starr.
-
#54 Emma Green
In Rewrite Radio Episode #54, journalist Emma Green opens up her reporter’s notebook from her time spent living in Jerusalem, looking at the broader themes that animate global religion.Theme music is Modern Attempt by TrackTribe and June 11 by Andrew Starr.
-
#53 Luis Alberto Urrea
In Rewrite Radio Episode #53, Luis Alberto Urrea shares his journey as a faithful writer—from a Tijuana garbage dump to Devil’s Highway. Theme music is Modern Attempt by TrackTribe and June 11 by Andrew Starr.
-
#52 Eugene Peterson 2010
In Rewrite Radio Episode #52, Eugene Peterson and Scott Hoezee discuss teaching, preaching, and conversation at the 2010 Festival of Faith & Writing.Theme music is Modern Attempt by TrackTribe and June 11 by Andrew Starr.
-
#51 Carlos Eire 2008
In Rewrite Radio Episode #51, National Book Award winner Carlos Eire muses on the ethics of false memory, the power of images, and the story of thousands of children who, like him, were airlifted from Castro's Cuba, without their parents, in the early 1960's.Theme music is Modern Attempt by...
-
#50 Jen Hatmaker 2018
In Rewrite Radio Episode #50, Jen Hatmaker and Jennifer Holberg discuss the truths that humor conveys, the need for good friends, and the problems facing evangelicals.Theme music is Modern Attempt by TrackTribe and June 11 by Andrew Starr.
-
#49 Lee Smith 1996
In Rewrite Radio Episode #49, writer Lee Smith talks about and reads from her novel Saving Grace. Smith lets us into the stories behind her novels, her experiences with southern churches, and her fascination with all forms of ecstatic religion. Theme music is Modern Attempt by TrackTribe and June...
-
#48 Walter Wangerin 2000
In Rewrite Radio Episode #48, Walter Wangerin, Jr. begins his Festival talk by comparing hard rain on a roof to the sound of applause and praise, and he says that he found it his job to seek God in the common things and know that the whole earth is filled with God's glory. He also dives into the...
-
#47 Festival of Faith & Writing Retrospective 2022
In Rewrite Radio Episode #47, CCFW co-director Jennifer Holberg interviews some who have been there since the beginning of Festival: Henry J. Baron, Donald Hettinga, and Gary D. Schmidt. This episode shares the journey of the Festival’s past 30 years–its speakers, triumphs, difficulties–all…
more -
#46: Season 2 Review: Stories As Service
Episode 46 of Rewrite Radio features a collection of excerpts from our second season of the podcast, curated and edited together by CCFW media producerJon Brown and program coordinator Natalie Rowland. Join us as we journey through past Festival sessions in an exploration of stories as...
-
#45: Elie Wiesel 1998
On this episode of Rewrite Radio, we go back to the first night of Festival 1998 and Nobel-prize-winning writer Elie Wiesel, who offers powerful and prophetic words as applicable today as they were then. The author of over 60 books, Elie Wiesel was born in what is now Romania. At 15, he was...
-
#44: Nikki Grimes 2018
Today on Rewrite Radio, we bring you Nikki Grimes, speaking at Festival 2018 about the potential story and poetry have to teach us empathy. Drawing examples from her own work, Grimes talks about the way that words can connect people across time and across cultures.The 2017 recipient of the Laura...
-
#43: Will Campbell 1990
Today’s episode, a recording from the very first Festival in 1990 and it features Will Campbell. Campbell, a Baptist minister, is perhaps best known for his involvement in the Civil Rights movement, first through the National Council of Churches and then through the Committee of Southern…
more -
#42: Yann Martel 2008
In this session of Rewrite Radio, we listen back to a conversation with writer Yann Martel from Festival 2008. Interviewed by Otto Selles, a French professor and poet, Martel lets us into the stories behind his stories, the quirks of his freewheeling curiosity, and the ideas at play in his art…
more -
#41: Marilynne Robinson 2006
Marilynne Robinson is the author of four novels: Housekeeping, winner of the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for the best first novel published in 1980; Gilead, winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for fiction; Home, the winner of the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction; and, most recently, Lila. Robinson...
-
#40: Abigail Disney & Dorothy Fortenberry 2018
On today’s episode of Rewrite Radio: working in the television and movie industry, Abigail Disney and Dorothy Fortenberry are involved in making some of the most significant media today. In this wide-ranging conversation with Jennifer Holberg, co-director of the CCFW, they discuss the ethical...
-
#39: Li-Young Lee 2004
In this episode of Rewrite Radio, we bring you a session from Festival 2004. Listen in as two poets—Li-Young Lee and Nick Samaras—define the “demonization” of lyrical language and explore the meaning of pauses articulate in poems. Along the way, they reminisce about their lives as readers and...
-
#38: Rabbi Sandy Sasso 2018
On this Rewrite Radio: Calvin College chaplain, Mary Hulst--first woman ordained in the Christian Reformed Church in the US--interviews Rabbi Sandy Sasso, the first woman to have been ordained a rabbi in Reconstructionist Judaism. Sasso and Hulst discuss Judaism, feminism, and why children’s…
more -
#37: Fleming Rutledge 2018
On this episode of Rewrite Radio: Scott Hoezee, a noted preacher himself and the director of the Center for Excellence in Preaching at Calvin Theological Seminary, conducts a wide-ranging interview with Fleming Rutledge. Fleming Rutledge is an Episcopal priest and writer of nine books, including...
-
#36: Afaa M. Weaver 2018
On today’s Rewrite Radio, independent scholar Sarina Gruver Moore talks with author Afaa Michael Weaver about how his journey took him from factory work to a Fulbright and ultimately to a professorship and an established writing career--and the spiritual practices that helped him along the way....
-
#35: Jacqueline Woodson 2004
On today’s episode, a look back to 2004 when the 2018 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Jacqueline Woodson, visited the Festival.As we listen back to the 2004 Festival, we hear Jacqueline Woodson consider how her upbringing, including her family’s faith commitments, prepared her...
-
#34: Jamie Quatro & April Ayers Lawson 2018
Today’s episode of Rewrite Radio features a conversation between the writers April Ayers Lawson and Jamie Quatro, hosted by Amy Frykholm. Titled “Sex, the Spirit, Short Stories, and South,” this conversation takes up the complicated work of writing about religious experience and sexual…
more -
#33: Kathleen Dean Moore 2010
On today’s Rewrite Radio, Kathleen Dean Moore, a philosopher and nature writer, proposes that the art of spiritual nature writing is to explore unfathomable ideas—mystery, astonishment, sanctity, despair—in the plain language of ice and frogs, returning stars, bells, birdsong, and pawprints in...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Rewrite Radio is the podcast of the Festival of Faith & Writing, a biennial celebration of literature and belief in Grand Rapids, MI.Festival is the flagship initiative of the Calvin Center for Faith & Writing (CCFW), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit fostering scholarship & community around the literary arts.
HOSTED BY
Rewrite Radio
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Rewrite Radio have?
Rewrite Radio currently has 85 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Rewrite Radio about?
Rewrite Radio is the podcast of the Festival of Faith & Writing, a biennial celebration of literature and belief in Grand Rapids, MI.Festival is the flagship initiative of the Calvin Center for Faith & Writing (CCFW), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit fostering scholarship & community around the literary arts.
How often does Rewrite Radio release new episodes?
Rewrite Radio has 85 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Rewrite Radio?
You can listen to Rewrite Radio on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Rewrite Radio?
Rewrite Radio is created and hosted by Rewrite Radio.
URL copied to clipboard!