Addenda
A monthly e-mail newsletter from MARS HILL AUDIO
May 17, 2007 – Number 39
"Much of what we learn about human nature and human life
comes from gradually working our way into a tradition
of thought and learning from predecessors within it,
especially those who are acknowledged masters."
--Gilbert Meilaender, The Way That Leads There:
Augustinian Reflections on the Christian Life
(Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2006)
New on our desks
Neighborhoods and Community
Over the years, we've done several interviews with guests about how the physical structure of neighborhoods encourages the relational reality of community (e.g., Richard Moe, Jeff Speck, Eric Jacobsen, Lilian Calles Barger, etc.). . . . Novelist Orson Scott Card has recently commented on the importance of thinking in very tangible ways about how communities work . . . [Read more on Community]
R. R. Reno Recognizes Philip Rieff's Work
Professor and MARS HILL AUDIO guest R. R. Reno describes why the late Philip Rieff is one of the most important social theorists and cultural critics of the modern era. In "Philip Rieff's Charisma," published on the First Things blog, he attends to one of the sociologist's later works, Charisma. [Read more on Reno and Reiff]
The Peculiar Insanity of the Contemporary Public Square
Contemporary society considers religion a private matter that individuals practice—or don't—at their discretion, it does not consider it a legitimate conversation partner for shaping the body politic. In "Religion and the Common Good," Charles J. Chaput, the archbishop of Denver, explains that the absence of religious discourse in the public square is a consequence of the idea articulated by Nietzsche that God is dead. [Read more on The Public Square]
The Subtlety of Film Noir
Movies in the genre of film noir portray more than wicked characters in hopeless situations, moving through dimly lit environments. In "Seeking with Groans: The moral universe of film noir," Thomas Hibbs describes the moral complexity of the genre, which is gaining popularity with critics and movie watchers. [Read more on Film Noir]
Vanity Fair Revisited
Literary critic Alan Jacobs has been the most frequent guest on the MARS HILL AUDIO Journal (and probably the most popular). He has appeared on Conversations and Anthologies as well, and several years ago, we released an audio version of his book of essays, A Visit to Vanity Fair: Moral Essays on the Present Age on audio-cassette.
We're now releasing this wonderful book in our MP3 format, and in our entirely biased opinion, we think that this is the best $13 you might spend to accompany 5 1/2 hours of your time (assuming you only listen to it once, which we heartily doubt). The 16 essays included in this collection cover a wide range of subjects, from the nature of essays (and essayists) to the place of poetry in preaching to the nature of friendship. There are essays on Harry Potter, C. S. Lewis, and Donald Davie. There's even an essay on the moral temptations of watching those violent nature videos, the ones very red in tooth and claw.
In order to encourage you to buy this audiobook (which, for those of you without iPods, can easily be burned to CDs to maintain portability), we've placed the introductory essay from the book on-line here, where you may stream or download it.
When you come to your senses and decide to make a purchase, you may do so here.
The Ascending Voice: An International Symposium of Sacred A Cappella Music
Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, is hosting a symposium of a cappella music June 4-7, 2007. The Ascending Voice: An International Symposium of Sacred A Cappella Music will include lectures and clinics, public performances, a recital of new hymns, and panel discussions, all on the theological, historical, and musical richness of a cappella traditions. Symposium planners are calling for paper and hymn submissions. For more information about the symposium, including details about submissions and registration, visit www.pepperdine.edu/provost/conferences/ascendingvoice/; or call (310-506-4261) or e-mail (provost@pepperdine.edu) Darryl Tippens, Pepperdine's provost.
Transforming Spaces: Virtu(e) and the Virtual
Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA) is hosting its biennial conference June 14-17, 2007, at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania. Speakers for the event are Ken Myers, Ena Heller from the Museum of Biblical Art, and Catherine Kapikian from Wesley Seminary. For more information about the event or CIVA, call 978-867-4124, e-mail office@civa.org, or visit www.civa.org.
Subscriber Update
Volume 85 (March/April 2007) of the MARS HILL AUDIO Journal is in production. Guests include: John C. Sommerville discussing his book The Decline of the Secular University; Christopher Shannon on Conspicuous Criticism: Tradition, the Individual, and Culture in Modern American Social Thought; Matthew Dickerson on Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J. R. R. Tolkien; and Michael G. Lawler on his essay "Marriage As Covenant in the Catholic Tradition" published in Covenant Marriage in Comparative Perspective.
Various Details, Disclaimers, Etc.
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Copyright 2007 MARS HILL AUDIO, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Published by
MARS HILL AUDIO
P.O. Box 7826
Charlottesville, Virginia 22906
Call 1.800.331.6407
Fax 1.434.990.9090