The Votive Podcast

Haley interviews Thomas Salerno, an educator, author, freelance essayist, and podcaster from Long Island, New York. With a bachelor's degree in anthropology and background in the fossil labs of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, he turned to writing during the pandemic in 2020. This episode discusses Thomas's debut children's book The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones which just released from Word on Fire Votive and explores the importance of teaching children to integrate faith and science and helping them to develop friendships with the saints.

You can find Thomas Salerno's new book The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones available for order from the Word on Fire Bookstore. Stay up-to-date with the latest episodes of the The Votive Podcast biweekly on WordonFire.org or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Do you enjoy this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member to support the production of the Votive Podcast and other initiatives from Word on Fire. Our ministry depends on the support of listeners like you! Become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Haley interviews A.M. Juster, poet, translator, and author. For many years he lived a double life as an undercover poet while working in senior roles in the federal government and biotech industry. His work has appeared in Poetry, The Paris Review, and The Hudson Review. And next fall W.W. Norton will release his translation of Petrarch's Canzoniere. This episode discusses Juster's surprising trajectory into poetry, his first children's book Girlatee, and how to give children a love for the beauty of language.

Learn more about the children's literature available from Word on Fire Votive. Stay up-to-date with the latest episodes of the The Votive Podcast biweekly on WordonFire.org or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Do you enjoy this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member to support the production of the Votive Podcast and other initiatives from Word on Fire. Our ministry depends on the support of listeners like you! Become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Haley interviews Chris Lewis, a Catholic illustrator and owner of BARITUS, a Catholic illustration studio with a huge Instagram following. Chris's work honors the rich artistic legacy of the Catholic Church and has a unique modern style that resonates with the faithful today. In this episode, Chris shares about his conversion to Catholicism, his artistic vision, the beauty of creating images of the saints, and the depth and richness of our Catholic faith.

Learn more about the children's literature available from Word on Fire Votive. Stay up-to-date with the latest episodes of the The Votive Podcast biweekly on WordonFire.org or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Do you enjoy this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member to support the production of the Votive Podcast and other initiatives from Word on Fire. Our ministry depends on the support of listeners like you! Become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Haley interviews Dr. Sarah Jane Murray, an award-winning Professor of Great Texts & Creative Writing at Baylor University, an EMMY®-nominated filmmaker, and the translator (with Dr. Matthieu Boyd) of the medieval French Moralized Ovid. With a background in medieval texts, Dr. Murray is interested in all kinds of storytelling: books, films, and even virtual reality. In today's episode Haley and Dr. Murray discuss what makes stories meaningful, how they affect us on a neurological level, and what concerns we should have about what stories are consumed by young people. They also explore the future of storytelling, preserving the Great Books, and whether we should view new technologies with fear or embrace them with open arms.

Haley interviews John Hendrix, a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator. He is the Kenneth E. Hudson Professor of Art and Chair of the MFA in Illustration and Visual Culture program at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. His books include The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler, Drawing Is Magic, and The Mythmakers, a new graphic novel about the friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. In this episode Haley and John discuss the great value of having companions on the way in both the creative and the spiritual life, how the Gospel as the true myth, and ways to encourage reluctant readers with highly illustrated books like graphic novels.

Learn more about the children's literature available from Word on Fire Votive. Stay up-to-date with the latest episodes of the The Votive Podcast biweekly on WordonFire.org or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Do you enjoy this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member to support the production of the Votive Podcast and other initiatives from Word on Fire. Our ministry depends on the support of listeners like you! Become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Haley interviews Dr. Julia Meszaros about British spiritual writer Caryll Houselander's legacy and contribution to children's literature. Dr. Meszaros is a theologian and the co-editor of CUA's Catholic Women Writers series which recently republished Houselander's novel The Dry Wood. In this episode they discuss Houselander's incredible body of work, her Catholic mysticism, her eccentricity, and her stories for children including The Shepherd's Coat.

Learn more about The Shepherd's Coat and the children's literature available from Word on Fire Votive. Stay up-to-date with the latest episodes of the The Votive Podcast biweekly on WordonFire.org or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Do you enjoy this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member to support the production of the Votive Podcast and other initiatives from Word on Fire. Our ministry depends on the support of listeners like you! Become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Haley interviews Word on Fire designer and photographer Clare Sheaf about an exciting new project: The Catholic Kids' Cookbook: Holy Days and Heavenly Food. In this episode they discuss how to let the beauty of the liturgical year shape children's hearts and minds, the importance of participating in holy seasons and special days in the domestic Church, and ideas for observing Advent.

Learn more about The Catholic Kids' Cookbook and the children's literature available from Word on Fire Votive. Stay up-to-date with the latest episodes of the The Votive Podcast biweekly on WordonFire.org or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Do you enjoy this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member to support the production of the Votive Podcast and other initiatives from Word on Fire. Our ministry depends on the support of listeners like you! Become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Haley interviews Joseph Ruli, the author of new Votive title Giovanni and the Fava Beans illustrated by the incredible Jaclyn Warren. Joseph is a New Orleans native and second-generation Sicilian American and in this episode we discuss the history of the St. Joseph Altar tradition, how to cultivate Catholic community, and the impact special feast days have on children.

Learn more about Giovanni and the Fava Beans and all the children's literature available from Word on Fire Votive. Stay up-to-date with the latest episodes of the The Votive Podcast biweekly on WordonFire.org or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Do you enjoy this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member to support the production of the Votive Podcast and other initiatives from Word on Fire. Our ministry depends on the support of listeners like you! Become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Haley interviews Dr. LuElla D'Amico, an Associate Professor of English at the University of the Incarnate Word. They discuss the concept of childhood in North American literature, specifically girlhood, and how classic stories of girlhood help form the imagination for good relationships with the opposite sex. The conversation explores a variety of characters that demonstrate healthy femininity and masculinity in Anne of Green Gables and Little Women as well as contemporary titles that may become classics.

Learn more about the children's literature available from Word on Fire Votive. Stay up-to-date with the latest episodes of the The Votive Podcast biweekly on WordonFire.org or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Do you enjoy this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member to support the production of the Votive Podcast and other initiatives from Word on Fire. Our ministry depends on the support of listeners like you! Become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

Haley interviews celebrated author Gary D. Schmidt, the winner of multiple Newbery Honor awards and a National Book Award finalist, about his middle grade novel, The Labors of Hercules Beal. They discuss how great stories can equip the young reader with courage and hope and explore the value of the classical myths and medieval literature. They also talk about Gary's approach to writing for children and crafting books that respect the child reader.

Learn more about the children's literature available from Word on Fire Votive. Stay up-to-date with the latest episodes of the The Votive Podcast biweekly on WordonFire.org or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Do you enjoy this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member to support the production of the Votive Podcast and other initiatives from Word on Fire. Our ministry depends on the support of listeners like you! Become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.