Berry-focused Christian Writers Conference hosts Peterson

Grove City College’s annual Christian Writers Conference Complicity and Hope in Wendell Berry’s Membership will take a deep dive into the work of agrarian author Wendell Berry and feature a concert by keynoter Andrew Peterson.

The conference on Feb. 21 and 22 is organized by the Department of English to bring students, scholars, writers, and community members together to explore and discuss Berry’s work and the interplay between faith and writing. This edition also serves as the Eastern Regional Meeting of the Conference on Christianity and Literature.

Peterson, an accomplished author and singer-songwriter, will be performing a selection of his popular songs at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21 in Crawford Hall auditorium on campus. Known for his soulful music and captivating storytelling, Peterson offers a unique blend of music, faith, and narrative. His works include the highly acclaimed “Wingfeather Saga” book series and several chart-topping albums, including the “Resurrection Letters” series and “Behold the Lamb of God.”

Tickets for the performance are available online at alumni.gcc.edu until Feb. 19.

The conference features sessions and discussions curated by Grove City College English faculty, including Drs. Andrew Harvey, Louise McCray, Eric Potter, Michael Rawl, Virginia Rawl, Annie Shepherd, and Kristen Waha, and other scholars.

Berry, who published his first novel “Nathan Coulter” in 1960 and returned to his native Kentucky in 1965, is best known as an essayist – “The Unsettling of America” and “The Gift of Good Land” – and for his novels and stories about Port William, including “A Place on Earth,” “Jayber Crow,” and “That Distant Land.”

Conference organizer Dr. Jeffrey Bilbro, professor of English, noted that this year marks the 50^th anniversary of one of the more significant events in the history of Berry’s fictional community – Andy Catlett losing his hand to a mechanized corn picker.

“This may seem an odd episode to inspire a conference, but as the autobiographical character in Berry’s fiction, Andy Catlett’s life story and tragic accident offer a way to consider the central drama of Berry’s imaginative work,” he said. “Andy’s missing hand becomes a perpetual reminder of central questions that we all must live with: How do we imagine our complicity in and responsibility for systemic evils? How do we respond to our failure to live up to our ideals? How do we make do as maimed members of wounded communities?”

“Christians have long wrestled with what it means to dwell on earth as exiles, and Berry’s writings offer us ways of living with this longing for a home and a wholeness that we know can never be realized on this side of the new creation,” Bilbro said.

For more on the conference, including a full schedule, session, and registration information, visit gcc.edu/engl. Conference registration includes a ticket to the Peterson concert.

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