Each page of this new The Better Part Journal: An Intellectual Catholic Women's Journal is nourishing my soul. I am honored to be a part of it. "Voracious reading, nose deep in books, thus, will take us only so far in the intellectual life. Study, especially in fellowship, can take us a step further.
Read MoreHappy to share the video from my event at Penn Newman Center on Choosing Joy.
Read MoreDo you find it difficult to capture the mystery of faith into words? In this workshop we will look at authors Mary Karr, Brian Doyle, Kathleen Norris and myself, Shemaiah Gonzalez as guides to write the numinous. You will leave this evening with a list of prompts to take your writing deeper, parting the veil for yourself and your readers.
Read MoreHow do you even begin to get ideas on what to write: let alone something joyful?
In this generative workshop we will look at work from three joyful writers. Being in conversation with other writers help us develop our own pieces.
Details:
+ Monday March 23 4-6pm PST
+ Cost $60 (Paid via Venmo or Zelle Or PayPal)
+You will start the seeds of THREE joyful pieces to develop and sharpen in the days thereafter.
Read MoreJoin the Collegium Institute for it’s spring Ars Vivendi Arts Initiative conversation as we welcome writer, Shemaiah Gonzalez, author of Undaunted Joy: The Revolutionary Act of Cultivating Delight. In this evening conversation we’ll explore how we can carve our space for silence amidst the noise, find rhythm and pattern instead of the chaos of doom scrolling, how we can cultivate joy instead of anxiety? Ultimately we’ll explore how pausing and choosing to craft a life with space for joy and wonder and delight, what we might call an artful life, can do what Picasso claimed was art’s role: to” wash away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
Read MoreAuthor Daniel Nayeri never talks down to children. He respects them and clearly remembers what it was like to be thirteen or even eight. He reveals the realities of war in an age-appropriate manner.
Read MoreIn medieval England, select women voluntarily devoted themselves to God by walling themselves in an anchorhold. There was no entrance or exit, only two windows. Enclosed in these tiny holes, anchoresses lived in worlds much bigger than ours.
Read MoreOur world has more material prosperity than ever. So why does everybody seem so dour? And why are so many of our culture's stories devoid of hope? Author Shemaiah Gonzales's latest book is Undaunted Joy: The Revolutionary Act of Cultivating Delight. This collection of essays makes the case that, as Christians, our stories need more joy. But not the naïve or fake kind of joy. The real, brave kind. She joins the pub table to discuss the implications of telling stories that cultivate authentic joy.
Read MoreDelighted to be leading a morning retreat, STORIES OF FAITH: The Power of Stories to Shape and Encourage Our Faith, for women at the St Raphaela Center. Join us!
Read More"Often I hear, “We aren’t the same type of Christians as them.” As Madeleine L’Engle said, “We fall into Satan’s trap of assuming that other people are not Christians because they do not belong to our particular brand of Christianity.
Frankly, this is the enemy’s intention—to divide us."
For this week of Prayer for Christian Unity I wrote for America Magazine - The Jesuit Review about the traditions (Jesus Movement, Grace Brethren, and Vineyard) that informed my faith before my conversion to Catholicism.
Have you always wanted to read this classic novel? Or reread it more deeply? Or simply discuss it thoughtfully with likeminded people? Join us for this four-part seminar in which we will discuss Charlotte Bronte's pinnacle novel in depth.
We will divide the novel into four sections and explore topics such as voice, the Self, literary references, a Christian reading and more. We will find a novel dripping with grace and His Presence amongst its pages.
Read MoreOver five years after the pandemic, most of my fellow parishioners will still not grasp hands to pass the peace—-and I long for it. I wrote about the power of this ritual for Busted Halo.
Read MoreHad the joy of being on the Paulist Fathers Deacons Pod, sharing my book Undaunted Joy but also about my prayer text thread and even got to read my Advent "proem" Out of Sight
Read MoreAdvent is coming! How can we “do Advent right?” The answer is not what you think. My latest for Ignatian Spirituality
Read MoreHonored to have paired with Image Journal for this Advent Seminar A Thrill of Hope: The Weary World Rejoices
Read MoreJoel J Miller interviewed me for his wildly popular substack, Miller’s Book Review. We talked about Fight for Joy, Making Life Work as a Writer and More. Joel is such a gracious literary citizen.
Read MoreJesus’ plans are much richer and better than what we could imagine for ourselves. As we live in faith and relationship with Jesus, we discover who we were truly created to be.
Read MoreGrateful to Front Porch Republic and LuElla D'Amico for this marvelous review of my book Undaunted Joy. Luella uses my name in the same sentence as Brian Doyle so I am over the moon.
Read MoreHonored to join Haley Stewart for a conversation about living joyfully and passing down good literature to younger generations in the newest episode of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries The Votive Podcast.
Read MoreLiving Joy does not mean a life without sorrow or pain. It does mean living in hope. In her new book, Undaunted Joy: The Revolutionary Act of Cultivating Delight, Shemaiah Gonzalez encourages finding joy in the small things in life. It’s a good practice for gratitude and being light in dark and distracting times. Based in Seattle, Gonzalez talks with Kathryn Jean Lopez about finding the joys in Costco, naps, and the much more enduring things.
Read MoreThrives on moments where storytelling, art and faith collide.
