The *cino board of directors will be meeting this Friday morning in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania; from there, most of the board will continue on to the Jubilee Conference in Pittsburgh. While a number of things are on the agenda for discussion, the most pressing matter will be a conversation about financial sustainability so we can move forward with all of *cino's varied projects.
Please pray for imagination, patience and wisdom as we meet!
We're getting ready for our annual trip to Pittsburgh for CCO's Jubilee Conference, a gathering of several thousand college students eager to explore how to weave faith commitments into everyday life. This year, we'll have our usual table in the exhibit area with all kinds of information about *cino projects: catapult magazine and road journal; Imagining Space and Practicing Resurrection.
Kirstin and Rob will also be leading a workshop called "Movin' On Out":
It's important to consider what Christian faithfulness might look like in our unique careers as members of the body of Christ. But what about faithfulness in the practical aspects of the transition from living at school or with our parents to living on our own? This workshop will explore what it means to live into the Kingdom creatively as we choose where to live, establish food habits, cultivate a household and more.
So, if you'll be at the conference, be sure to check out our table in the exhibit hall and, if you're interested, attend our workshop! We'd love meeting new folks and engaging in great conversation.
Byron Borger of Hearts and Minds Books recently named Clutching Dust and Stars the Best First Novel of 2009! Here is Byron's review:
Rob and Natalie are expertly drawn hipster young adults, twenty-somethings who have been out of school for a few years and are "charting various paths of downward mobility." This is set in Bellingham, Washington, in the early years of 2000s, where Natalie's art studio behind the thrift shop is her place of canvas and paint. I can tell you ten things I liked about this well-written drama, and while not every reader will love every moment, this is a first novel by a very thoughtful Christian writer, published by an indie company that we are close to. I don't award the book because of that, but thought you may know their e-zine (catapult) and may have seen it serialized there. We're pretty excited to carry this book, with its allusive title drawn from The Kabbalah, despite its raw tale and deep struggles about faith and justice...no, it is because of this that we so affirm it. As the author puts it, "the story follows the tensions between various poles: dust and stars, apathy and idealism, love and sadness, disbelief and faith, graffiti and art, Rob and Natalie." Best first novel, 2009!
Of course, we encourage you to check out all of the "Best of 2009" recommendations at Hearts and Minds; they've got a great end-of-year list! And remember to mention *culture is not optional when purchasing ... we'll get a 10% donation for sending you in their direction.