No villain ruins Leontes but himself—no wicked daughters deceive him with flattery, no Iago drips poison in his ear. In an instant he becomes convinced, despite the lack of evidence, …
Of Sin and Superhero RPGs
In the beginning of the God and Comics podcast where Alexi and I were discussing Avengers: Infinity War, Alexi got to make the recommendation for the listeners and shared the superhero RPG we've been enjoying: Masks. The game is tremendous fun—it's easy to pick up the mechanics, and everything in it is designed to serve storytelling.… Read More
Thanos loses to “Riotous Fecundity”
My husband and I joined the clergymen of God and Comics to discuss the latest MCU movie: Avengers: Infinity War. The full episode is available to stream on the God and Comics site, but I thought I'd type up this teaser for you. Alexi: So if Killmonger is the shadow self of Black Panther, who… Read More
Interviewed on Illiberalism
All discussions of the dangers of too much emphasis on autonomy and self-sufficiency should take place with a backdrop of shrieking children scooting by on trikes, eating ice cream, and jumping off the platform they've built with the outdoor stacking blocks that the Bruderhof make in their community factory. I had the pleasure of being… Read More
Killing Tyranny with Kindness in The Winter’s Tale
No villain ruins Leontes but himself—no wicked daughters deceive him with flattery, no Iago drips poison in his ear. In an instant he becomes convinced, despite the lack of evidence, that his wife Hermione has become the lover of King Polixenes of Bohemia, his dear friend. As he spirals into self-sustaining despair, Leontes becomes a… Read More
Talking BenOp in Pittsburgh
I'm headed to Pittsburgh this weekend to give two talks. On Friday, April 27th, I'll be a guest at SENT, a young adult gathering with live music, free food and drinks. I'll be speaking about my upcoming book, Building the Benedict Option: A Guide to Gathering Two or Three Together in His Name and leading a… Read More
A mix of poetry and prurience in Priestdaddy
I can't figure out whether I want to recommend Patricia Lockwood's Priestdaddy. Lockwood's memoir reminds me of David Sedaris: she tells stories about her surreal family with writing that's so good (she's a poet) but sometimes so bodily specific that you can't decide whether to read it aloud or not. Lockwood's father is a Catholic priest… Read More
Summer in the Forest: “The Weak Lead Us To Reality”
Summer in the Forest, Randall Wright’s documentary on Jean Vanier and his L’Arche communities for the disabled, contains a number of indelible moments. In one, an elderly man sits, docilely, for a haircut. As a younger worker clips his hair, he holds out his knobbled hand and receives the milkweed-silk trimmings in his palm. The… Read More