Story Warren

Kindling Imagination for Kingdom Anticipation

The Warren & The World Vol 13, Issue 12

by Leave a Comment

Our second rainfall of the week has just begun—and maybe it’s because I’m old now that I’m paying attention to that, or maybe it’s because we’ve needed precipitation for MONTHS now. For a state that had major flooding last fall, North Carolina has actually been very dry in the past year. It’s a strange juxtaposition—to still be helping with flood relief while praying for rain.

Around the Web

Know your worth

Mandy at LIFE.FAITHFUL reminds us of our worth.

  • The world is all about telling us how we should view ourselves. What we think and feel is valued above all else–don’t let anybody else tell you what you should do, just live your best life right now. And while you’re living that best life, remember that you should be given the best at all times–after all, you’re worth it.
    But what are we really worth?
    Read more

Gladiola Garden by Effie Lee Newsome

Betsy at Redeemed Reader recommends a poetry anthology.

  • If you’ve been collecting poetry anthologies for children as long as I have, you’ll know that very few older volumes exist which feature children of color. While newer volumes are beginning to fill this gap, older children’s poetry has a different ring to it. Both deserve a place on your shelves, and I’m glad to find this gem which is both older and by a black author.
    Read more

Babe Ruth Goes Hunting

Kelly Keller tells one of my favorite family stories.

  • One Friday night in November, a shiny black car with New York plates pulled up in front of the Big House on Dawson Road. Four men got out. They were wearing expensive suits topped by long wool coats, and each sported a fedora. As the cases were pulled out and brought up the narrow cement steps into the house, the guests were welcomed inside by the hostess, Annie Armstrong Dawson. She briskly introduced herself to each of the newcomers. “Hello—come in— there’s coffee on the stove. When you’re settled, come downstairs for some pie.” Annie’s Belfast accent was charming, but the men understood that this invitation was more of an instruction.
    Read more

What Exactly Is Poetry?

It’s National Poetry Month, and Rachel S. Donahue has some definitive thoughts for us.

  • I was recently on a panel of poets leading a discussion about poetry as a kickoff to National Poetry Month. As a fun way to jump start the discussion, we each prepared a definition of poetry to reveal to each other that evening. It was no surprise that each of us emphasized different things, because there are probably as many different ways to describe poetry as there are poets in the world. I don’t have time to unpack all the definitions here but I will share my attempt:
    Poetry is the playful use of language to succinctly embody a thought, a feeling, or an experience.
    Read more

Around the Warren

Quiet Invitations

Shelley Holt Campbell encourages us to invite quietly.

  • When my kids were young, I wanted them to choose activities I knew to be enriching: reading, drawing, building, creating, piecing together puzzles, inventing imaginative games. But when boredom came and I would suggest said activities, my ideas were often met with disinterest. Maybe it was because they were hoping I’d suggest something that required less of them, something more similar to entertainment. Maybe it was because they wanted the ideas to be their own. Maybe it was because they were a wee bit tired of my voice telling them what they could or should be doing. Any of those reasons would be understandable.
    Read more

The Mythmakers

Théa Rosenburg is lost for words over John Hendrix’s new work.

  • I never know where to begin when reviewing a John Hendrix book. They are consistently among my favorites, and yet, there’s something undefinable about them. When I finish I’m left not so much with thoughts as with a breathless, hand-wavy feeling, something ephemeral that might take shape in a few jumbled words— “That was . . . perfect”—none of which do justice to the book, really. In writing this review, all I’m really saying is, Go read it. Right now. Buy an extra copy, because you’ll want to press it into the hands of all your friends while words fail you, too.
    Read more

Something to Do with Your Kids

This one-stroke painting style is really cool and something to try out with your young artists!

Something to Watch

I have an odd fondness for stories of long, drawn-out battles with bureaucracy and this one from CGP Grey about an arts center and a London borough from several years ago tickled my fancy. It has Sharks!

Thanks for reading. We’re on your side. 

–The Story Warren Team

Carolyn Clare Givens
Latest posts by Carolyn Clare Givens (see all)

Leave a Reply