The Art of Encounter: Catholic Writers from the Margins

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Friday, October 20 and Saturday, October 21, 2023

As part of the official opening of the 2023 synod, Pope Francis reminded those present that every encounter calls for openness and a willingness to let ourselves be challenged by the presence and stories of others. In continuity with the md传媒国产剧 College commitment to a liberal arts education in the Jesuit tradition,听The Art of Encounter: Catholic Writers from the Margins听conference seeks to build on the Jesuit ideals of 鈥渟eeing God in all things鈥 and 鈥渢raining men and women for others鈥 by responding to this call from Francis to undertake 鈥渆ncounter鈥 as an approach to others. As Francis has argued, 鈥渢he experience of encounter changes us; frequently it opens up new and unexpected possibilities.鈥澨

Funding for this conference was made possible by a grant from The听Institute of Liberal Arts. Other sponsors include md传媒国产剧 College's Lonergan Institute, Burns Library, and Irish Studies, as well as Fordham University鈥檚 Curran Center for Catholic Studies.

The Art of Encounter听conference seeks to respond to Francis鈥 call to 鈥渨iden the tent鈥 in order to welcome individuals and groups marginalized within the Catholic community because of gender, sexual identity, and ecclesiastical political identities, through encountering the stories told by poets and writers. With particular attention to listening to those creative voices that have not always been fully heard within the Catholic community, we have selected keynote speakers that integrate and wrestle with Catholic faith, speaking from the margins of the Catholic community towards its center. The first keynote and Saturday鈥檚 Workshop will be led by Irish poet P谩draig 脫 Tuama, host of the听On Being听associate podcast听Poetry Unbound听and author of several poetry collections including his most recent,听Feed the Beast.听脫 Tuama writes as both a poet and a theologian, an LGBTQ+ activist, and was the leader of the Corrymeela Community鈥擨reland鈥檚 oldest peace and reconciliation organization鈥攆or five years. Our second keynote speaker is Alice McDermott, Richard A. Macksey Professor of the Humanities at Johns Hopkins University and author of eight novels, including several that were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize, and a founder of a group that seeks to engage all of the faithful in renewing the Church. A frequent visitor to md传媒国产剧 College, McDermott has been profiled in听md传媒国产剧 College Magazine听on her Catholic faith.听

In addition to the two keynotes, there will be a presentation by Angela Alaimo O鈥橠onnell, writer, poet, and professor at Fordham University and associate director of its Curran Center for American Catholic Studies. Kim Garcia, poet and teacher in BC鈥檚 English department and Allison Adair, associate professor of the practice (BC English), will host a panel on 鈥淚dentity and the Catholic Imagination鈥 with trans author R/B Mertz. Alongside the presentations will be substantial time for an afternoon reception and book signings in Burns Library.听

Our hope is that students and other conference participants will have the opportunity to encounter both the authors themselves and their powerful ideas and stories, and in the process glimpse and contribute to a more capacious understanding of what the Catholic community might be, standing close to the heart of BC鈥檚 liberal arts education goal: to broaden our understanding of how encountering 鈥渢he other鈥 might be rich and fulfilling, opening up new possibilities for recognizing the richness and multiplicity of the real world鈥攊n a word, for finding God in all things.

headshot of Angela O'Donnell

Angela Alaimo O鈥橠onnell, PhD is a professor, poet, scholar, and writer at Fordham University in New York City, and serves as Associate Director of Fordham鈥檚 Curran Center for American Catholic Studies. Her publications include two chapbooks and eight full-length collections of poems. Her most recent book of poems听Holy Land听(2022) won the Paraclete Press Poetry Prize. In addition, O鈥橠onnell has published a memoir about caring for her dying mother,听Mortal Blessings: A Sacramental Farewell; a book of hours based on the practical theology of Flannery O鈥機onnor,听The Province of Joy; and a biography Flannery O鈥機onnor:听Fiction Fired by Faith. The latter won the Catholic Press Association Prize for best biography in 2015. Her ground-breaking critical book on听Flannery O鈥機onnor Radical Ambivalence: Race in Flannery O鈥機onnor听was published by Fordham University Press in 2020. O鈥橠onnell鈥檚 ninth book of poems,听Dear Dante, will be released by Paraclete Press in Spring 2024.

headshot of Alice McDermott

Alice McDermott鈥檚 novel,听Absolution, will be published in October by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Her eight previous novels have been finalists for the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her novel听Charming Billy听won the National Book Award for fiction. Her stories and essays have appeared in听The New Yorker,Harpers,听The New York Times,听Commonweal听and elsewhere. For over two decades she was the Richard A. Mackey Professor of the Humanities at Johns Hopkins University and a member of the faculty of the Sewanee Writers Conference.

headshot of R/B Mertz

R/B Mertz听(they/them) was homeschooled by Catholic fundamentalists and attended one of the most conservative colleges in the U.S. before coming out as a听queer butch dyke poet in 2007 and as trans/non-binary in 2015. Their memoir,听Burning Butch, was published in 2022 by Unnamed Press. They have published work in听Another Chicago Review,听Guernica Magazine,听Arc Poetry Magazine,听Fence, Autostraddle,听Christian Century, and elsewhere. Their book of poems,听CU T, will be released in early 2024 by Threadsuns Press. They now live in Toronto and are at work on a second memoir,听Boy or Girl, which has been supported by a grant from the Toronto Arts Council. They teach writing at Sheridan College.

headshot of O'Tuama

Irish poet and theologian听P谩draig 脫 Tuama鈥檚 work centers around themes of language, power, conflict and religion. He is the author of several books of poetry and prose:听Feed the Beast,听Daily Prayer with the Corrymeela Community,听In the Shelter,Sorry for your Troubles, and听Readings from the Books of Exile. 脫 Tuama is also the host of the popular podcast听Poetry Unbound, which immerses the listener into one poem every week, and the author of the collection,听Poetry Unbound, an expansion on the podcast that offers reflections on fifty powerful poems. He splits his time between Ireland and NYC.

headshot of Kim Garcia

Kim Garcia听is the author of听The Brighter House,听DRONE,听Madonna Magdalene and Tales of the Sisters. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in听IMAGE,听AGNI,听The Southern Review听and elsewhere. Garcia teaches creative writing at md传媒国产剧 College.听

headshot of Allison Adair

Allison Adair听is author of听The Clearing, winner of the Max Ritvo Poetry Prize. Her poems appear in听Best American Poetry,听Threepenny,听Kenyon Review, and听ZYZZYVA, and have received the Pushcart Prize, the Florida Review Editors鈥 Award, and the Orlando Prize. She is originally from central Pennsylvania.

headshot of Mary Elliott

Mary Elliot听is assistant director of the Lonergan Institute. She received her M.A. in Philosophy from md传媒国产剧 College in 2020. Her writing has been published in听The Peabody Journal of Education,听Academy Journal, and听Macrina Magazine, among others.

headshot of Mark Massa

Mark Massa, S.J., Th.D. is director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life. He is a church historian who studies Catholicism in the U.S. in the twentieth century. He is the author of seven books, the most recent of which is听The Structure of Theological Revolutions: How Humanae Vitae Shaped Debates About Natural Law.

Adair, Allison.听The Clearing: Poems. First edition. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions, 2020.

Garcia, Kim.听The Brighter House. Buffalo, NY: White Pine Press, 2016.

McDermott, Alice.听After This. New York, NY: Dell Publishing, 2007.

McDermott,听Alice.听Charming Billy. First edition. New York, NY: Farrar Straus and Giroux, 1998.

Mertz, R/B.听Burning Butch. Los Angeles, CA: Unnamed Press, 2022.

O'Donnell, Angela Alaimo.听Holy Land: Poems.听Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press, 2022.

O'Donnell, Angela Alaimo. 鈥淟ove in the Time of Coronavirus: Wherein We Realize This Is Not Temporary.鈥 Spiritus 21, no. 1 (2021): 151鈥151.听

脫 Tuama, P谩draig.听Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World.听New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2022.

脫 Tuama, P谩draig.听Readings from the Book of Exile. Norwich, England: Canterbury Press, 2012.

脫 Tuama, P谩draig, and Jordan, Glenn.听Borders and Belonging: the Book of Ruth: a Story for听Our Times. Norwich, England: Canterbury Press, 2021

In ,听P谩draig 脫 Tuama 鈥 one of the keynote speakers for our conference, 鈥淭he Art of the Encounter: Catholic Writers from the Margins鈥 鈥 describes the power of poetry. 脫 Tuama reflects on the significance of poetic expression: 鈥淚 think we turn to poetry because somehow we trust that language has the capacity to tell us something about ourselves.鈥 As we prepare for the conference, his powerful words invite us to open ourselves up to the transformative effect that poetry can have on us and the way that it can offer meaning and guidance in the midst of life鈥檚 uncertainties.

Angela O'Donnell introducing Padraig O Tuama

Dr. Angela Alaimo O'Donnell introduces our first keynote speaker, P谩draig 脫 Tuama, on Friday, October 20, 2023.

Padraig O Tuama giving keynote address

P谩draig 脫 Tuama delivering his keynote address听"I Pray God Rid Me of God" on Friday, October 20, 2023.

Padraig O Tuama reading from his book.

P谩draig 脫 Tuama听reading from his book on Friday, October 20, 2023.

Padraig O Tuama delivering his keynote address

P谩draig 脫 Tuama听delivering his keynote address on Friday, October 20, 2023.

Angela O'Donnell delivering her lecture on Saturday, October 21, 2023.

Dr. Angela Alaimo O'Donnell delivering her lecture "The Out-cast & the Dis-understood: Poetry & the Practice of Love"听on Saturday, October 21, 2023.

Angela O'Donnell reading from her book.

Dr. Angela Alaimo O'Donnell reading from her book Waking My Mother.

Padraig O Tuama delivering Saturday's Workshop

P谩draig 脫 Tuama's poetry workshop titled The Devil鈥檚 in the Details:听Literature and听Language as a听Way to听Salvation on Saturday, October 21, 2023.

Christian Dupont introduces our panel 鈥淚dentity and the Catholic Imagination鈥 in Burns Library

Christian Dupont introduces our afternoon panel 鈥淚dentity and the Catholic Imagination鈥 in Burns Library on Saturday, October 21, 2023. Sitting in chairs, to the right of Christian, Kim Garcia, R/B Mertz, and Allison Adair.

R/B Mertz giving their talk.

R/B Mertz giving their talk in Burns Library on Saturday, October 21, 2023. Kim Garcia (sitting to the right) and Allison Adair (not pictured) give their responses.

Kim Garcia, Allison Adair, and guest having a discussion following panel.

Kim Garcia, Allison Adair, and guest having a discussion following panel.

Group shot of the reception in Burns Library

Group shot of reception held in Burns Library.

Alice McDermott delivers her keynote address.

Alice McDermott delivers her keynote address听Pardon and Peace: Encountering听Absolution.

Photo Credits: Christopher Soldt for Friday night's Keynote address and Emily Caffrey for Saturday's events.

As part of the official opening of the 2023 synod, Pope Francis reminded those present that every encounter calls for openness and a willingness to let ourselves be challenged by the presence and stories of others. In response to this invitation, on Friday, October 20, 2023 and Saturday, October 21, 2023, the Boisi Center co-hosted a conference titled, The Art of Encounter: Catholic Writers from the Margins. The event was also sponsored by md传媒国产剧 College鈥檚 The Institute for the Liberal Arts, the Lonergan Institute, Burns Library, Irish Studies, as well as Fordham University鈥檚 Curran Center for American Catholic Studies. The conference offered various perspectives from Catholics who identify as existing on the margins of the Church and discussed ways to move forward to create a more inclusive community.听

The conference began on Friday evening with a keynote address from P谩draig 脫 Tuama, an acclaimed Irish poet and theologian and host of the well-known podcast, 鈥淧oetry Unbound.鈥 His talk, entitled 鈥淚 Pray God Rid Me of God,鈥 explored how his experiences growing up as a gay Catholic influenced his relationship with God and his theology. He shared painful stories about how priests tried to exorcize him as a teenager. 脫 Tuama responded by turning his rage about these experiences into art, reflecting that 鈥淚 made something from that which wanted to destroy me.鈥 脫 Tuama explained how art and poetry can be devices that help us process and metabolize unjust pain, which provided a meaningful context for the remainder of the conference.听听

The conference continued on Saturday morning with an opening talk from Angela Alaimo O鈥橠onnell, the associate director of Fordham鈥檚 Curran Center and professor of literature at the university. Her talk was titled 鈥淭he Out-cast & the Dis-understood: Poetry & the Practice of Love.鈥 She read a number of her poems, many of which dealt with the complexities of her and her mother鈥檚 experiences with Catholicism. Recounting an experience of her mother鈥檚 marginalization in her parish because of her divorce, O鈥橠onnell emphasized the importance of resisting those who draw boundaries around Catholic belonging, and she identified Catholicism as a religion for all.听

Following O鈥橠onnell鈥檚 address, the conference transitioned to a poetry workshop, titled 鈥淭he Devil鈥檚 in the Details: Literature and Language as a Way to Salvation.鈥 脫 Tuama, the workshop leader, shared his own poems that grappled with the idea that 鈥渢he devil is in thyself.鈥 The session invited attendees to confront and reflect on their inner lives and channel these discoveries into poetry. 脫 Tuama provided a series of prompts to inspire this activity, and the session culminated in attendees鈥 sharing lines of their creations.听

After the workshop and a shared meal, the conference moved into a panel discussion with R/B Mertz, a poet and teacher of writing at Sheridan College; Kim Garcia, a poet and creative writing professor at md传媒国产剧 College; and Allison Adair, a poet and creative writing professor of the practice at md传媒国产剧 College.听The panel, 鈥淚dentity and the Catholic Imagination,鈥 began with a presentation from Mertz and then Garcia and Adair engaged Mertz in a Q&A.听Mertz discussed their experiences growing up in a fundamentalist Catholic family, being听 homeschooled, and identifying as trans/non-binary. In light of this experience, they now advocate for people on the margins to reveal their true selves and join together to create a stronger coalition of support for marginalized Catholics. Mertz also encouraged attendees to look to people on the margins of gender expression within the Catholic tradition, such as Saint Joan of Arc. The panel was followed by a book signing, which allowed for further discussion between the presenters and attendees.听

The conference then transitioned to a keynote presentation by Alice McDermott. McDermott was the Richard A. Macksey Professor of the Humanities at Johns Hopkins University prior to her retirement in 2019. Her novel, Charming Billy, received the National Book Award for fiction, and her other works have been finalists for the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Her keynote address, entitled 鈥淧ardon and Peace: Encountering Absolution,鈥 discussed the themes of her recently published book, Absolution. She explained how literature can serve as a way to encounter experiences other than our own and discussed the importance of pardon and peace in the journey toward true absolution. Her comments were a powerful and insightful conclusion to the speaking sessions of the conference, helping to show how literature can enrich the texture of our relationships.听The conference concluded with Mass in St. Mary鈥檚 Chapel presided by Mark Massa, S.J. The Mass was a meaningful way to wrap up the gathering, as it allowed the attendees to come together and pray for one another as well for those who feel on the margins of the church. It also featured the music of pioneering Black priest and liturgist, Reverend Clarence Joseph Rivers. The service reflected the conference鈥檚 overall aim to offer hope, promote encounter, and embody Pope Francis鈥 call to 鈥渨iden the tent鈥 and create a more inclusive church.