Friday Links, October 16, 2020

Hi there, dear readers -- editor in chief Katy Carl here, stepping in for Roseanne Sullivan today. Every Friday, we bring you a roundup of this week's links of interest on all things counter, original, spare, strange at the intersection of ideas, art, & Catholic faith -- where we live.

First this week, a matched pair of links on novelist Christopher Beha, by fiction writers Trevor Cribben Merrill and Joshua Hren. Merrill speaks of the emergent "Beha option," meaning success in an endeavor to bring "matters of ultimate concern" before a pluralistic audience, as an alternative to the literary "Benedict option" of setting aside dedicated space for writers of Catholic persuasion to pursue works that may most appeal to readers of the same. Hren engages the idea of the "postsecular" environment (a term used by scholar John McClure) to investigate why our moment could be making this endeavor newly possible again. (Then again, considering the upshot of Paul Elie's 2013 interview with us, perhaps it has always been possible, merely more challenging in some moments than in others. After all, the city of God is always hiding inside the city of man, both already and not yet here...)

Another matched pair: at the Slant Books blog, writer Caroline Langston meditates on color and character in Faulkner. Meanwhile, our managing editor Karen Ullo pointed out that the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater is offering a free streaming season this December, in celebration of the achievements of African American artists. During difficult times like these, art can be a lifeline.

photo credit: Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre via Because Of Them We Can, https://www.becauseofthemwecan.com/

ICYMI: do give a listen to Dappled Things founder Bernardo Aparicio on the Latino Leaders & Faith podcast with Delila Vazquez and Deacon Charlie Echeverry. Revisit the origin story of Dappled Things, and reflect on the beautiful contributions that Catholics of Hispanic/Latino heritage bring to the universal Church.

And if you just need a quick laugh, Monica at The Saucer offers her uber-Catholic presidential platform: ALL THE DAYS OFF. You're welcome. 

[because we all need a little break sometimes]