Podcast

Belinda Pollard, Donita Bundy and Alison Joy look back on the writing year that was, forward to the writing year that’s coming, and up to the One we write for. An honest conversation with vulnerable moments and encouragement for Gracewriters living in a difficult world.

Pastor Kathy Escobar, author of the Advent resource A Weary World, has for many years helped provide a Blue Christmas event for those struggling at this time of year. Its meaning became intensely personal after her teenage son’s death by suicide. (Content warning: suicide)

Nikki Florence Thompson teaches creative writing at the Australian Catholic University. Nikki has an MA in creative writing, a PhD in Literature, and is a blogger and published author. Her memoir, Fight, Flight and Faith tackles grief and anxiety at a very personal level.

Alison Joy writes contemporary romance set in fascinating travel locations. She talks about finding inspiration in location and culture, managing “heat levels” in romance, and the challenge of working out what God wants her to write.

Lynne Castelijn writes stories about life in a Philippine jungle for social media. She reveals her unique style and format, and how vulnerability, though terrifying, has created deep connections with other people.

Bible translator Albert Castelijn has spent 28 years as a missionary worker in a remote village in the Philippine jungle. He shares the practicalities and the miraculous moments of working with words across culture and language barriers.

Karen Kepert, Christian songwriter and author of the children’s picture book Scruffy and Silk, talks about the challenges of packing a lot of meaning into a small word count, and how her songwriting began seemingly from nowhere and grew in surprising ways.

Author, blogger, and Instagrammer, Nicci Toomey, began blogging her way through a very difficult time in her life, and her writing grew into a book and a ministry.