Panel will muse on questions about ‘listening to the work,’ the creative process

Madeleine insisted, “The largest job of the artist is to listen to the work.”

This listening is one of the ways, she believed, that we become co-creators with God. But, practically speaking, what does it mean to listen to what the work is trying to express or be? How do artists in various mediums allow their work a measure of free will?

Four artists will reflect on those questions and share what goes into their creative processes, during the “Listening to the Work” artists panel at the first Madeleine L’Engle Walking on Water Conference in New York City.

Musician in Residence Audrey Assad, artist and writer Albert Pedulla, and visual artist Joyce Yu-Jean Lee will participate in the panel, moderated by Seth Little, who directs arts programming for All Angels’ Church in Manhattan.

 

Audrey Assad is the daughter of a Syrian refugee, an author, speaker, record producer, and critically laudedsongwriter and musician. She refers to her music as “soundtracks for prayer,” and cites Madeleine as an inspiration.

Albert Pedulla is an artist, and occasional writer and curator. Fun fact: he designed and built Madeleine’s bedroom furniture and writing desk. He’s written on art for the journals Image, Comment and Seen. He also served on the Board of Directors of Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA) for 16 years.

Joyce Yu-Jean Lee is a visual artist working with video, digital photography and interactive installation. Her artwork examines how mass media and visual culture shape notions of truth and understanding of the “other.” Her project about Internet censorship, FIREWALL, garnered backlash from Chinese state authorities in 2016 and was presented at Lincoln Center in NYC and the Oslo Freedom Forum in Norway. She has exhibited internationally, receiving support and press from a wide variety of publications and groups. She is based in NYC and teaches as an Assistant Professor of Art & Digital Media at Marist College.

The artists’ panel is part of the festivities on Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Walking on Water Conference. For a detailed schedule and to lock in your place at the event, check out the registration page.

Can’t wait to see you in NYC!

~Erin F. Wasinger, for MadeleineLEngle.com.

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Walking on Water Conference workshops give time, space for feeding a richer inner life

For many of her readers, Madeleine’s exploration of the inner life both fed their understanding of different traditions and prompted deeper self-reflection. It’s why when some of us read her work, we’re often underlining long passages, nodding, yes, I feel that, too. We’re creating space for more of those yes, I feel that, too moments at the first Madeleine L’Engle-Walking on Water Conference. Workshops on Saturday talk about contemplation, meditation, and “feeding the lake,” and you’re welcome to participate:

Meditation on Contemplation: Madeleine L’Engle and Buddhism in Conversation

This workshop will cover the distinction between meditation in the Buddhist sense and Christian contemplation. Madeleine’s devotion to Christianity was so confident as to allow the influences of many different spiritual traditions into her thinking, including that of Buddhism, which she referenced many times, notably in Walking on Water.

In this morning workshop, psychoanalyst-in-training Edward Jones will talk about meditation and contemplation, as well as how they intersect and where they might differ, with an eye toward reconciling any perceived tension between them. Some time will be devoted to exploring Buddhist meditation techniques including some actual practice together, and putting Buddhist philosophy into a 21st century context. Jones is in training at the Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies. He’s energized by the intersection of yoga philosophy, Buddhism, and psychology and seeks to draw from these three deep and potent sources for the benefit of his students and clients. He is also Madeleine L’Engle’s grandson.

“Feeding the Lake: A Journaling Workshop”

After lunch that day, author Sophfronia Scott will provide insights and prompts for the regular habit of journaling, which Madeleine herself practiced. (Madeleine’s advice to unpublished writers was to write anyway because all of it helps “feed the lake,” to quote Jean Rhys). Scott, author of the novel Unforgivable Love, has also published a spiritual memoir, This Child of Faith: Raising a Spiritual Child in a Secular World, co-written with her son Tain; and an essay collection, Love’s Long Line.

“Walking on Water: The Gallery Tour”

Later Saturday afternoon, artist Albert Pedulla will lead participants on a tour of a L’Engle installation, which is a collaboration between All Angels’ Church and CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts), featuring a number of artists and works inspired by Madeleine. The tour features a number of artists and works inspired by Madeleine. Pedulla is an artist, and occasional writer, and curator. He designed and built Madeleine’s bedroom furniture and writing desk that she used for many years. He also served on the Board of Directors of Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA) for 16 years.

 

** Last call! **

Registration prices increase after Sept. 15 from $169 to $199, so reserve your spot today! Registration for the Friday retreat is $79, and can be completed here, too.

The Walking on Water Conference is Saturday, Nov. 16, at All Angels’ Church, 251 W. 80th St., NY, NY, with a smaller pre-conference retreat on Friday, Nov. 15. Headline speaker for the conference will be acclaimed children’s author Katherine Paterson (Bridge to Terabithia, The Great Gilly Hopkins), with award-winning singer-songwriter Audrey Assad as Musician-in-Residence (Evergreen).

Watch here for more info about the conference — we’re getting SO excited!

Tesser well,

~Erin F. Wasinger, for MadeleineLEngle.com.

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‘Walking on Water Conference’ recommended reading list pairs L’Engle titles, modern must-reads

Bibliophiles love a good “to read” list, and we will not disappoint you now.

As part of our prep for “Walking on Water: The Madeleine L’Engle Conference” this November, conference co-director Sarah Arthur has curated a list of books you’ll want to add to your stack, post haste. The list is categorized by genre – and we encourage you to take that as a challenge to read broadly. Let’s take a cue from Madeleine, shall we?, the woman who read poetry, fairy tales, and astrophysics.

We’ve included Sarah’s Recommended Reads list as an attachment, for those who (like me!) want to print the list for easy reference. Not that we’re keeping score, but I’ve read fifteen titles (and counting) so far. Most recently, I’ve devoured 2019 Newbery Honor Book The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani and The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser. In my job as a school librarian, I’ve made it my life’s ambition to get as many readers as possible to discover these books (and the rest on the list!). I hope the list inspires such enthusiastic sharing with your fellow readers, too.

What have you read from this list that you’d recommend? What are you excited to read next? Comment below.

By the way, we encourage you to find these books through Books of Wonder online, in their stores, or at the pop-up bookstore at the conference. Thanks for supporting indie sellers.

In other Walking on Water Conference news: We’ve extended the deadline for early-bird registration to Sept. 15!

The inaugural Madeleine L’Engle Conference will feature hands-on workshops, panel discussions, lunch groups, live music, plenary sessions, and more. All are welcome to join this lively and generative conversation centered around L’Engle’s signature treatise on faith & art, Walking on Water.

Conference highlights include acclaimed children’s author Katherine Paterson (Bridge to Terabithia, The Great Gilly Hopkins), Newbery-Honor-winner Veera Hiranandani (The Night Diary), National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi (American Street, My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich), A Wrinkle in Time film producer Catherine Hand, music by award-winning singer-songwriter Audrey Assad, and much more. The conference, in partnership with Writing For Your Life, is honored to work with collaborators We Need Diverse Books, Books of Wonder bookstore, Stage Partners, and Macmillan, as well as host venue and co-sponsor All Angels’ Church, to welcome artists, writers, readers, & students to the Upper West Side neighborhood that Madeleine called home.

Register and find more information here, including details about a Friday retreat and a special young adult discount price.

Can’t wait to see you there!

~Erin F. Wasinger for MadeleineLEngle.com.

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