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2026 Festival of Faith and Writing has ended
Venue: Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall clear filter
Thursday, April 16
 

2:30pm EDT

The Beauty in Broken Things: Writing Sadness with Grace
Thursday April 16, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
In conversation, poets Todd Davis and Kiki Petrosino explore how sorrow can be rendered with clarity, tenderness, and artistic precision, revealing how writing about sadness can open space for truth, connection, and unexpected forms of healing. 

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby
Speakers
avatar for Todd Davis

Todd Davis

Todd Davis is the author of eight books of poetry, most recently Ditch Memory: New & Selected Poems and Coffin Honey. He also edited A Literary Field Guide to Northern Appalachia and Fast Break to Line Break: Poets on the Art of Basketball. His writing has won the Midwest Book Award and the Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Prize. He teaches environmental studies at Penn State University... Read More →
avatar for Kiki Petrosino

Kiki Petrosino

Kiki Petrosino is the author of four books of poetry, including White Blood: a Lyric of Virginia. She holds graduate degrees from the University of Chicago and the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop. Her memoir, Bright, was released from Sarabande in 2022. She is a Professor of Poetry at the University of Virginia... Read More →
Thursday April 16, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
  Concurrent Session, Conversation

4:00pm EDT

About a Million Blessings a Day
Thursday April 16, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
A poetry reading and writing practice is, by its very nature, a mindfulness practice. It can become a spiritual practice as well. In the tradition of William Stafford, poet Carrie Fountain has, over twenty-five years, developed an early morning writing and reading ritual that has become a kind of sleight-of-hand prayer practice. Fountain discusses how developing such a habit can, again and again, root one in the real world and attune one to the many miracles of the everyday. 

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby
Speakers
avatar for Carrie Fountain

Carrie Fountain

Carrie Fountain is the author of three books of poetry: The Life, Instant Winner, and Burn Lake; the YA novel I’m Not Missing; and the children’s book The Poem Forest. She is currently adapting I’m Not Missing for the screen, working on a second YA novel, and finishing a th... Read More →
Thursday April 16, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

8:00pm EDT

Film Screening: Leap of Faith
Thursday April 16, 2026 8:00pm - 10:00pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
Join us for a screening of Nicholas Ma’s film Leap of Faith followed by a moderated conversation with Ma and Michael Gulker of The Colossian Forum, exploring the film’s themes and the role of storytelling in nurturing dialogue, reflection, and shared understanding. 
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall 
Speakers
avatar for Nicholas Ma

Nicholas Ma

Nicholas Ma is an award-winning director, writer, and producer based in Brooklyn, whose film work spans an eclectic array of topics: from botany to basketball to Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, on the life of Fred Rogers.

Most recently he wrote and directed Mabel (SFIFF, 2024) and d... Read More →
Thursday April 16, 2026 8:00pm - 10:00pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
  Evening Activity, Film Screening
 
Friday, April 17
 

9:00am EDT

Seen & Heard: Character, Authenticity and Connection
Friday April 17, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
In her novel Lookout and memoir Dirt Work: An Education in the Woods, Christine Byl centers deeply emplaced, complex characters while resisting stereotypes. In this session, Byl discusses reading and writing nuanced portrayals of complicated people, families and communities, and how stories can both polarize and connect.

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby
Speakers
avatar for Christine Byl

Christine Byl

Christine Byl is the author of the novel Lookout, short-listed for the Center for Fiction's 2023 First Novel prize and recipient of a Montana Book Award Honor, and Dirt Work: An Education in the Woods, shortlisted for the 2014 Willa Award in nonfiction. Christine has worked as a professional trail-builder for nearly three decades. She lives in Interior Alaska on the homelands of Dene' people... Read More →
Friday April 17, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

10:30am EDT

Close Enough to See, Far Enough to Tell
Friday April 17, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
Eliza Griswold reflects on the craft and responsibility of immersive journalism, considering the delicate balance between getting close to a story and maintaining clear-eyed perspective. She explores how writers navigate trust, truth, and the moral stakes of bearing witness in complex human situations.

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby 
Speakers
avatar for Eliza Griswold

Eliza Griswold

A celebrated author, poet, and New Yorker reporter covering religion, politics, and the environment, Griswold is the author of Circle of Hope: A Reckoning with Love, Power, and Justice in an American Church, a finalist for the National Book Award, and Amity and Prosperity: One Fa... Read More →
Friday April 17, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

11:45am EDT

Spell, Ceremony, Miracle: The Literacy Narrative of a Lapsed Catholic
Friday April 17, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
Kiki Petrosino's poems and essays trace the story of her own literacy across complex terrains of text and memory. In this discussion, she talks about how her grief, following her grandfather's suicide, was shaped by her literary explorations of Shakespeare and Dante as well as by the ceremonies of her childhood Catholic faith.

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby
Speakers
avatar for Kiki Petrosino

Kiki Petrosino

Kiki Petrosino is the author of four books of poetry, including White Blood: a Lyric of Virginia. She holds graduate degrees from the University of Chicago and the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop. Her memoir, Bright, was released from Sarabande in 2022. She is a Professor of Poetry at the University of Virginia... Read More →
Friday April 17, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

2:30pm EDT

Talking To Strangers: How To Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers, and Even Get The Reluctant Haters To Tell You Something Useful
Friday April 17, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
Since we have so many ways to separate us from one another, the art of the interview has become more important than ever. Dean Nelson has been asking questions as a journalist and as host of the annual Writer's Symposium By The Sea for more than 30 years. In this session, Nelson shows you how to engage others at a deeper and more profound level. It's more than serendipity and intuition. It's a skill you can learn.  

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby
Speakers
avatar for Dean Nelson

Dean Nelson

Dean Nelson is the founder and director of the journalism program at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, and the founder and host of the annual Writer's Symposium By The Sea, where he has interviewed great writers for more than 30 years. His most recent books are Talking... Read More →
Friday April 17, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

4:00pm EDT

How to Write Good
Friday April 17, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
Sarah Perry reflects on how her work has considered theological and philosophical ideas of personal and collective moral responsibility, the influence of her strict Calvinist upbringing, whether a writer has an ethical duty to their readers, and to what extent artistic excellence might be considered a moral virtue.

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby 
Speakers
avatar for Sarah Perry

Sarah Perry

Sarah Perry is the internationally best selling author of the novels Melmouth, The Essex Serpent, After Me Comes the Flood, and Enlightenment, and the nonfiction Essex Girls.

Her essays have been widely published, and she has contributed to the Guardian, the New York Times, the ... Read More →
Friday April 17, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session
 
Saturday, April 18
 

9:00am EDT

Grace Notes: Tiny Moments that Make Our Stories Sing
Saturday April 18, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
Using several examples across the modern landscape of literary fiction, Bilal explores the power of the instant in storytelling, attuning us to the littlest details that add sparkle, beauty and meaning to the works we love.  

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby
Speakers
avatar for Aaliyah Bilal

Aaliyah Bilal

Aaliyah Bilal is a fiction and nonfiction writer who focuses on the Black American Muslim experience and stories that connect Chinese and Afro-Diasporic peoples. She has experience as a director and producer of short films and she has published stories and essays with The Michiga... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 9:00am - 9:45am EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

10:30am EDT

Writer Websites That Dazzle Publishers
Saturday April 18, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
When an agent or publisher receives your pitch, you know what they do? They Google you! Today your writer website is your business card and there is a degree to which it legitimizes you as a professional communicator. Your site can be simple, but it does need to be doing its job. Impress gatekeepers by offering a site that gives them every reason to say “yes.” 

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby
Speakers
avatar for Margot Starbuck

Margot Starbuck

Margot is a New York Times bestselling writer who’s written over 50 books and works with publishers as a writer, editor, and coach. She specializes in helping nonfiction writers get published by equipping them to dazzle gatekeepers. As a collaborator, Margot enjoys writing alongside... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 10:30am - 11:15am EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
  Concurrent Session, Solo Session

11:45am EDT

From Manuscript to Marketplace
Saturday April 18, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
In this session, marketing professionals discuss how books find their readers in a crowded landscape, exploring strategies, trends, and challenges unique to faith-related publishing. This panel offers practical insight into audience engagement, platform building, and the creative collaboration that helps bring books into the world.
Speakers
avatar for Alexis DeWeese

Alexis DeWeese

Alexis De Weese is a writer, digital marketer, and student of theology. Her work is devoted to creating space for necessary conversations within the Church and helping others cultivate practices of digital hospitality. 

As senior marketing manager with Zondervan Reflective, an... Read More →
avatar for Pete Ford

Pete Ford

Pete Ford is a stay-at-home dad as well as a digital marketer for Christian authors, publishers, and nonprofits. By night, he is a reader, focusing on topics including nonviolence, time, the built environment, and spiritual practices like Sabbath.
avatar for Jeremy Wells

Jeremy Wells

Jeremy Wells serves as Senior Marketing Director for Baker Academic & Brazos Press, where he brings
two decades of publishing experience to connecting readers with transformative books. He also works as a
part-time bookseller at Plumfield Books in Ada, Michigan, keeping him grounde... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 11:45am - 12:30pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
  Concurrent Session, Panel Session

2:30pm EDT

A Conversation with Sarah Perry
Saturday April 18, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
A Conversation with Sarah Perry, interviewed by Jennifer L. Holberg, CCFW Director.

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby
Speakers
avatar for Sarah Perry

Sarah Perry

Sarah Perry is the internationally best selling author of the novels Melmouth, The Essex Serpent, After Me Comes the Flood, and Enlightenment, and the nonfiction Essex Girls.

Her essays have been widely published, and she has contributed to the Guardian, the New York Times, the ... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
  Concurrent Session, Interview

4:00pm EDT

Place and Landscape as Character
Saturday April 18, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
In conversation, A. Muia, Christine Byl, and Eli Cranor explore how landscape shapes story—becoming not just backdrop but an active, breathing presence. They consider writing rooted in place, the ethics of depicting land and community, and how attentive engagement with the physical world deepens narrative voice, character, and meaning.

Book signing follows in the Covenant Fine Arts Center Lobby
Speakers
avatar for Christine Byl

Christine Byl

Christine Byl is the author of the novel Lookout, short-listed for the Center for Fiction's 2023 First Novel prize and recipient of a Montana Book Award Honor, and Dirt Work: An Education in the Woods, shortlisted for the 2014 Willa Award in nonfiction. Christine has worked as a professional trail-builder for nearly three decades. She lives in Interior Alaska on the homelands of Dene' people... Read More →
avatar for Eli Cranor

Eli Cranor

Nationally-bestselling, Edgar Award-winning author, Eli Cranor played quarterback at every level: peewee to professional. These days, he serves as the Writer in Residence at Arkansas Tech, where he also lends his expertise to the university's football team. His previous works include... Read More →
avatar for A. Muia

A. Muia

A. Muia is the 2024 winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction for her novel, A Desert Between Two Seas. Her fiction has appeared in journals throughout the U.S. She holds a degree in Spanish language, a master's in teaching English to speakers of other languages, an... Read More →
Saturday April 18, 2026 4:00pm - 4:45pm EDT
Covenant Fine Arts Center, Recital Hall
  Concurrent Session, Conversation
 

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