Paul Kingsnorth Releases an Orthodox Christian Version of Rewilding Your Words
November Newsletter
Dear Writers,
After I took
’s course Rewilding Your Words in 2019, not only did I publish my first poem, but I also feel connected to the natural world in a very real way, which has made the setting of my stories more of a character than a backdrop. That’s why, when I started St. Basil Writers’ Workshop in 2022, I knew I wanted to ask Paul to be an instructor.So I was already excited for our students to start his course today…
… but then I caught a glimpse of Paul’s new syllabus, and all I can say is, this year his course is going to be very special!
Paul has kept the roots of the course the same, but he has reframed the content and reading material with a Christian focus. Let’s just say that I am very eager to watch this new course unfold. Our St. Basil students are in for a treat!
Here’s what Paul says about his course:
“I really like the idea of St. Basil’s. I think it’s important to have an Orthodox writing academy because it’s very difficult to write as a Christian without just being a ‘Christian writer’ who writes Christian propaganda that even bores Christians. It’s like political people writing boring books because they want to focus on the message and not offend anyone.
It doesn’t work like that. You have to be confident enough in your faith to let some wildness in. So I wondered how much wildness you could let into a Christian Orthodox writing academy, but also how Christian you could be when you’re teaching nature.”
Join the Next Generation of Inklings
Don’t forget! Applications for the St. Basil Writers’ Workshop 2025-2026 open on January 1st. Start prepping your 5,000-word writing sample today!
If you want to learn more about how the in-person retreat and the courses are structured, I invite you to save your spot at our open house on January 21st, 8 pm EST.
Article Spotlight
“To the Lani, I learned later, the forest lived. This was no metaphor. The place itself, in which their people had lived for millennia, was not an inanimate ‘environment’, a mere backdrop for human activity. It was part of that activity. It was a great being, and to live as part of it was to be in a constant exchange with it. And so they sang to it; sometimes, it sang back.”
Eight years ago, Paul wrote an article for The Guardian titled: “We imagine how it feels to be a character, why can’t we imagine how the land feels?”
I imagine Paul might have written this article with slightly different framing since his conversion to Christianity, yet the essence of his article is rooted, researched, and very much worth a read. It also provides an intriguing glimpse into his course at St. Basil’s.
Book Recommendation
Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeline L’Engle is a wonderful series of meditations on the life of a writer who is also a deeply committed Christian.
In her own words:
"As I listen to the silence, I learn that my feelings about art and my feelings about the Creator of the Universe are inseparable. To try to talk about art and about Christianity is for me one and the same thing, and it means attempting to share the meaning of my life, what gives it, for me, its tragedy and its glory. It is what makes me respond to the death of an apple tree, the birth of a puppy, northern lights shaking the sky, by writing stories."
Storytelling Talks
Paul Kingsnorth’s Erasmus lecture, “Against Christian Civilization,” is the talk of the town. If you haven’t listened to it yet, go do that right now.
As I was reflecting on this talk and Paul’s course at St. Basil’s, I realized that both underscore the importance of telling the right kind of story at this cultural moment. (And for those of you who watch the talk, you’ll know “the right kind of story” doesn’t mean the kind that sets out to save the West or something. No one wants to read a story that’s poorly-disguised propaganda.)
There is a very real difference between Christian civilization and Christian culture. The first is militant, the latter transformative. It’s the latter we’re interested in at St. Basil’s, and a key component of Christian culture is good storytelling, stories that cut past all the agendas, all the noise, and awaken our hearts to see Christ in one another and the world around us. So let’s tell better stories.
Happy listening, reading, and writing!
~ Deacon Nicholas