The 2023 Square Halo Conference: Ordinary Saints—CREATIVITY, COLLABORATION, AND COMMUNITY
February 17-18, 2023 | Lancaster, PA
at The Trust Performing Arts Center and The Rabbit & the Dragonfly
Our conference this year celebrates Square Halo’s 25th year publishing “extraordinary books for ordinary saints.” Our keynote speaker will be Malcolm Guite author of Lifting the Veil. Friday night’s featured speaker will be Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt and our concert performance will be by The Arcadian Wild.
Other confirmed contributors to this event include:
Tom Becker
—Thinking Ahead Already! Making This Conference Stick In Your Own Hometown.
Tom will pre-empt all your angst, concerns, and difficulties in bridging this wonderful conference with your “ordinary life.” And Tom will share a few tips about descending the mountain top to the village below.
—The Elegant Bridge of Humanity
We’ll explore how an ennobling vision of humanity can elevate your art and love of neighbor without ignoring the reality of our world’s brokenness. We’ll discuss what it means to establish common footing with your neighbors, to appreciate the good, beautiful, and true present in this fallen world, and to shine with the light of Jesus in a natural way.
Carey Bustard and Joy Strawbridge
—A Book is a Classroom: The Theology of Picture Books
Join teachers, writers (both contributed to Wild Things and Ordinary Saints), and second generation classical education grads, Carey Bustard and Joy Strawbridge to consider the theology of children and children’s literature, and a discussion about the cultivation of ordinary, formational reading in the home and classroom (especially for children ages 1–10).
Bonnie Bosso
—Round Table
Join Bonnie Bosso, a local theater director, for a delightful time participating in a roundtable reading of Babette’s Feast. She will guide participants in thinking about plot, characters, and setting. This will be a wonderful avenue for experiencing community, creativity, and collaboration.
Carolyn Givens
—Are We Starting a Publishing Company? A Journey of Creative Collaboration
Author and publisher Carolyn Clare Givens believes deeply that the most creative work comes from collaboration. Carrie will tell the story of Bandersnatch Books and explore principles of collaborative creative work she’s seen have success (and stolen for plot ideas in her stories).
A.D. Bauer and Diana DiPasquale
—Surprising Texts and Surprising Grace
In the natural rhythm of bible reading and prayer, do we ever wonder why these means of grace are disconnected from our daily lives? Join Alan Bauer and Diana Di Pasquale in an innovative discussion of how to apply Bible reading to practical life, especially in the area of soul-satisfying conversations. Seminary professor and pastor, Alan will draw from his book, How to See, to make biblical interpretation practical. Biblical counselor, Diana, will connect her book, Speaking CODE to Alan’s ideas, showing how the Bible speaks into relationships.
Shanika Churchville
—Ordinary Scholars: Justice in the Writing Classroom
Many learners’ experiences with writing have been marked by shame, condemnation, or exclusion. For them, the practice of writing feels impractical, exclusive, or elitist. How can we “do justice” in the writing classroom? How can we welcome the student athlete, the older adult learner, the international student, the refugee to the practice of writing?
Amy Knorr
—Can We Have Creative Christian Community Online?
Many Christian leaders warn against the allure of virtual community, but can we make these communities healthier and more spiritually transformative? Amy will discuss with attendees (face to face, not on zoom) about this topic and what she has learned through working with The Black Barn Collective.
Christine Perrin and Jessica Zubrod
—Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places
This talk will focus on the vision for ordinary saintliness that the beatitudes suggest to us, that overturn the classical ideal of heroism in a way that puzzles all of us. It will pair the work of fiction writer Marilynn Robinson and images by the photographer Jessica Zubrod (led by teacher-poet Christine Perrin and photographer Jessica Zubrod).
Christie Purifoy
—Saint Hunca Munca: Placemaking, Dolls’ Houses, and the Literature of Tiny Things
Join writer, gardener, and placemaker Christie Purifoy for a discussion of placemaking on a one-inch scale. Christie will examine stories by Beatrix Potter, Rumer Godden, Mary Norton, Saki, and C.S. Lewis to illuminate her own lifelong fascination with miniatures. Come discover why Beatrix Potter’s memorable mouse Hunca Munca, who swept the dolls’ house for her sins, is an ordinary saint to emulate.
Geoffrey Reiter
—Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor: Ordinary Puritan Poets and Saints
Contrary to the stereotype, Puritans in America were not just austere killjoys. They sought to live righteous lives while living fully in this world. We can see this especially in the lives of the two most significant American Puritan poets, Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor, who glorified God privately through their verse, which demonstrates the ways in which the glory of God shines through ordinary lives.
Lisa Smith
—Chasing Table Scraps: How to Engage Creatively with a God Who Loves Us
When Jesus refuses the request of a suffering mother to deliver her child from demon possession, his disciples applaud the move. But by the end of the story, it’s the mother who has received what she asked for and taught the disciples a valuable lesson in how God wants to be loved and pursued.
—Friends Don’t Let Friends Miss Revival: George Whitefield on Making Friends and Creating Community
Ordinary saints need friends. God never intended for us to travel the journey of faith alone. A look at how George Whitefield created his band of brothers in early America reveals for us some helpful tips on how to create lasting, fruitful friendships with our sisters and brothers in Christ.
Shawn and Maile Smucker
—Stories Between Us
Sit in on the recording of the Stories Between Us podcast. Two writers, Shawn Smucker and Maile Silva, married to each other, explore the highs and lows of creativity, publishing, and the writing life. This podcast, soon starting its seventh season, has included many fantastic guests through the years, such as Karen Swallow Prior, Winn Collier, Christy Purifoy, Tish Oxenreider, Russ Ramsey, and Jon Acuff.
Daniel Spanjer
—An Advent for Shepherds and Wisemen: the radical logic of Christ’s coming
The king of all creation came to his people but was announced to shepherds, the lowest of Jewish society, and to pagan kings. By human convention the advent of Christ made as little sense as will his second, unless by his coming Christ inaugurated an unusual kingdom in which shepherds and gentiles would be notables.
Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt
—Rupture as Invitation: The Generosity of Contemporary Art and Is it STILL Good? It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God Two Decades Years Later
ART EXHIBITION
Part of the event will include an art exhibition about ordinary saints. If you would like to be considered to be in the show, CLICK HERE to learn more about submitting.
BOOK TABLE
All the Square Halo titles and more will be on site throughout the conference to pursue and purchase.
Tickets are $220 at the door (available to attendees age 13 and older—no child care available). There is a $30 restocking fee for ticket cancellations with refunds but no charge if tickets are transferred to another guest.If you have any questions about this, please email CONF@SQUAREHALOBOOKS.COM.
CONCERT TICKETS ONLY
Are you busy Friday and Saturday but still want a taste of the goodness of this event? Why not come to just the concert? The Arcadian Wild is a true delight to see live. Doors open at 8:30pm. CLICK HERE to order concert-only tickets.
FOOD
We will be providing breakfast, lunch, and snacks and such during the conference but Friday and Saturday’s dinners are on your own. Although there are a variety of wonderful restaurants in walking distance, conference attendees are STRONGLY URGED to make reservations IN ADVANCE.
LODGING
The conference is being held walking distance from several fine hotels, including Holiday Inn Lancaster, the Lancaster Arts Hotel, and the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square. There are other quality hotels in driving distance, as well as local AirB&Bs. NOTE: Square Halo has one discounted room left set aside at the Holiday Inn. If you are interested in reserving that room, email conf@squarehalobooks.com and request it.
SCHEDULE
(This schedule is tentative. All details listed below are subject to change)
FRIDAY
Registration—12:00
Attendees may register any time from noon until 7pm
Early Bird Activities (no extra cost)
Session A—1:00
•Thinking Ahead Already! Making This Conference Stick in Your Own Hometown— Tom Becker
•Songwriters in the Round
Session B—2:00
•Chasing Table Scraps: How to Engage Creatively with a God Who Loves Us— Lisa Smith
•Songwriters in the Round
•Reverie Actor’s Company Dramatic Reading
Welcome—3:00
•Welcome
•A Spell in the Library — Malcolm Guite
Dinner—5:00
•Dinner on your own at local restaurants
The Row House—7:00
•Rupture as Invitation: The Generosity of Contemporary Art—Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt
Pub Night Celebration—9:00
•Songwriters in the Round
•Story Telling
•Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Party
SATURDAY
Breakfast—8:00
•Continental breakfast
Lecture—9:00
•Malcolm Guite
Breakout Session One—10:30
•The Goodness of Digital Community—Amy Knorr
•A Book is a Classroom: The Theology of Picture Books — Carey Bustard and Joy Strawbridge
•The Stories Between Us Live Podcast Recording—Shawn & Maile Smucker
•The Elegant Bridge of Humanity—Tom Becker
LUNCH—11:30
Lunch (together in The Trust—courtesy of Chick-Fil-A)
Breakout Session Two—1:00
•Surprising Texts and Surprising Grace—Alan and Diana Bauer
•Reverie Actor’s Company Dramatic Reading
•Friends Don’t Let Friends Miss Revival: George Whitefield on Making Friends and Creating Community—Lisa Smith
•Saint Hunca Munca: Placemaking, Dolls’ Houses, and the Literature of Tiny Things—Christie Purifoy
Breakout Session Three—2:15
•An Advent for Shepherds and Wisemen: The Radical Logic of Christ’s Coming —Daniel Spanjer
•Are We Starting a Publishing Company? A Journey of Creative Collaboration —Carolyn Givens
•Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places—Christine Perrin and Jessica Zubrod
•Ordinary Scholars: Justice in the Writing Classroom—Shanika Churchville
Optional Afternoon Activities—3:30
•Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor: Ordinary Puritan Poets and Saints—Geoffrey Reiter
•Reverie Actor’s Company Dramatic Reading
•Roundtable Reading —Bonnie Bosso
•Tea & Poetry
•Pop-Up Printmaking Studio
Dinner—4:30
•Dinner on your own at local restaurants
Panel Discussion—6:30
•Is it STILL Good? It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God Two Decades Years Later—Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt with Edward Knippers and Ned Bustard
Lecture—7:45
•Malcolm Guite
Concert—9:00
•The Arcadian Wild
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