My personal Substack

"The writer should never be ashamed of staring. There is nothing that does not require his attention." - Flannery O'Connor. I am a lover of the word in all its forms. I stare incorrigibly at everything. And then I write.

The enthusiasms, musings, and observations of James K.A. Smith. Mostly books, music, and film. Expect no punditry here. Look elsewhere for outrage.

We are a small Christian press embodying a faith that seeks excellence. We publish poetry, short stories, homilies, and visual art in our semiannual literary journal, as well as poetry chapbooks, poetry collections, novellas, and novels year-round.

True Myth for a Hypermodern Age

The Revolutionary Act of Cultivating Delight

A literary small press on the OK-AR border: Stick around and read

A place to explore the way the short story works.

On writing fiction after Girard

Excited to share what I'm reading, how to remind the church of our holy vocation, and why education needs to emphasize the liberating arts!

Searching literature and life for the enchantment, love, and sense of place that will help us live again in a cosmos--and survive in the Anthropocene.

A trustworthy guide to music, books, arts, media & culture by Ted Gioia

Creating a culture that values interdependence over autonomy

Reviews, Sketches, and Writing from the Texas Panhandle.

Pursuing the mysterium tremendum et fascinans and writing at the intersection of philosophy, culture, art, technology, and religious wisdom.

An essay series focusing on questions of cinema, cinephilia, and philosophy.

The Examine is a reader-supported exploration of curiosity. Here, I explore the world through fiction, non-fiction, and the occasional photograph.

Noticing what's still beautiful, good, and true in the world. Because it's there—if you have the eyes to see.