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This captivating new collection introduces readers to the fascinating lives, spiritual biographies, and sacramental vision of 12 Catholic women novelists.





 
Women of the Catholic Imagination:
Twelve Inspired Novelists You Should Know
Edited by Haley Stewart
Conclusion by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera
Word on Fire | June 10, 2024
Paperback | 200 Pages | 6" x 9"
 
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Mark Galli was the editor in chief of Christianity Today for seven years, a Presbyterian pastor for ten years, and a passionate evangelical Protestant since first responding to an altar call in 1965 at thirteen years old. But in 2020, Galli formally returned to the faith in which he was baptized as an infant: the Roman Catholic Church. 

With All the Saints: My Journey to the Roman Catholic Church is the compelling memoir of one man’s search for the fullness of truth. Through honest and engaging storytelling, Galli recounts the various spiritual, theological, mystical, and ecclesial tributaries that led him to “cross the Tiber” back to Catholicism. Each tradition he passed through—Evangelical, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Anglican, and Eastern Orthodox—he embraced without satisfaction and left without bitterness, drawing him finally to the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church: a Church of saints and sinners, all striving together in the great company of heaven; a Church that he could finally call home.

Honest, insightful, and entertaining, With All the Saints is a memorable love letter to Christ and his Church.






 

 


 
 
  

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 




















About Women of the Catholic Imagination



 
There is no lack of talented women in the Catholic literary tradition. Yet these brilliant writers are often unfamiliar to today’s readers, or, if widely read, their Catholic identity is unrecognized. This collection introduces a dozen Catholic women novelists from the past two hundred years, presenting their fascinating lives, spiritual biographies, and sacramental vision in essays by twelve Catholic scholars and writers. 

Edited by Haley Stewart and with a conclusion by best-selling author Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera, Women of the Catholic Imagination encourages the expansion of the Catholic literary canon by bringing these inspired writers back into the spotlight, laying the foundation for the reader’s discovery (or rediscovery) of their masterful works.




 

 


 
 
  

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 






































 
 
 










 
 

  
  
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Introducing Word on Fire Spark!

If you have children in your life, you want to cultivate wonder and joy in their hearts. In a world full of noise and distraction, you want their imagination to be formed by beauty so they will be drawn to God who is Beauty itself. You want them to be inspired by the saints and led to holiness. Word on Fire Spark is publishing the resources you have been waiting for. Spark offers carefully crafted stories with stunning illustrations designed to turn young hearts to the Gospel. 


 

Contents


 



Introduction: A Good Novel Can Change Your Life - Haley Stewart

Josephine Ward: Transforming a Heritage of Exile - Eleanor Bourg Nicholson

Sigrid Undset: Novelist of Mercy - Amy Fahey
 
Caryll Houselander: Divine Eccentric - Julia Meszaros
 
Gertrud von le Fort: Undaunted Ambassador of Grace - Helena M. Tomko

Flannery O’Connor: Incarnational Fiction - Angela Alaimo O’Donnell

Caroline Gordon: Lost and Found - Joshua Hren

Rumer Godden: Listening with the Inner Ear - Katy Carl

Alice Thomas Ellis: Bohemian Traditionalist - Bonnie Lander Johnson

Muriel Spark: Transformative Satire - Dorian Speed

Toni Morrison: Writer of the Crucifix - Nick Ripatrazone

Alice McDermott: Radiant Vision in Someone - Paul J. Contino

Donna Tartt: Catholic Writing in Secular Form - Jennifer Frey

Conclusion: The Hidden Secret of Christian Literature - Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera
 




 

 


 
 
  

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

















Here’s What People Are Saying...

 


“This new collection of essays on an exemplary group of Catholic writers, all women, includes many of the most distinguished authors of the early twentieth-century literary revival and some of our greatest contemporaries. The richest of touchstones, it gives some of our day’s finest writers and scholars the chance to lead us on a journey of rediscovery. Readers will find terrific introductions to established greats such as Undset, Spark, and Godden as well as some of the first explorations of the theological depths of contemporaries such as Morrison, McDermott, and Tartt. What a perfectly imagined, timely, and exciting book.”
– James Matthew Wilson, author of Saint Thomas and the Forbidden Birds



“When Women of the Catholic Imagination: Twelve Inspired Novelists You Should Know arrived in my mailbox, I was pleasantly surprised to find that all twelve of the women writers featured are future considerations for Well-Read Mom selections. This treasured resource will acquaint readers with literary gems that are waiting to be discovered once again.”
– Marcie Stokman, president and founder of Well-Read Mom


“A terrific volume that demonstrates the way Catholicism has informed and in turn been enriched by the imaginative works of a number of female authors, most of whom have been unduly neglected. Correcting that injustice, these elegantly written essays invite readers to explore texts that deepen our appreciation of the great mysteries of human life: good and evil, despair and hope, tragedy and redemption.”
– Thomas Hibbs, J. Newton Rayzor Sr. Professor of Philosophy and Dean Emeritus, Baylor University 


“Each essay in this book beams a light on a Catholic luminary who may have been overshadowed by her male contemporaries. Now, thanks to this book, the brilliant women of the Catholic imagination shine forth. Reading this collection not only introduces you to more friends in the Church but also extends your reading list!” 
– Jessica Hooten Wilson, author of Flannery O’Connor’s “Why Do the Heathen Rage?” A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a Work in Progress


“This exciting collection of essays on the life and work of Catholic female literary figures calls out not only to Roman Catholic readers but to those who are interested in the way that literature can evoke those truths we find it difficult to speak about without the help of story, and the legacy of women throughout history who have done just that.”
– Joy Clarkson, author of Aggressively Happy and You Are a Tree




















 


 
 
  

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 



 


 
 




About the Editor


 
Haley Stewart is the Editor of Word on Fire Votive and the author of The Grace of Enough, Jane Austen’s Genius Guide to Life, and The Sister Seraphina Mysteries. She lives in Florida with her husband and four children.
 

Introducing Word on Fire Spark!

 
If you have children in your life, you want to cultivate wonder and joy in their hearts. In a world full of noise and distraction, you want their imagination to be formed by beauty so they will be drawn to God who is Beauty itself. You want them to be inspired by the saints and led to holiness. Word on Fire Spark is publishing the resources you have been waiting for. Spark offers carefully crafted stories with stunning illustrations designed to turn young hearts to the Gospel. 
























 







 
 
 
  
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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