1.
Word-Gardening: From Seed (Idea) to Fruit (Publication)
Lead Presenter/Facilitator: Rodney Clapp, Editor, Cascade Books
Date/Time: Monday, June 2, 2025 | 11:30 am – 3:00 pm EDT
Description: Drawing on nearly fifty years’ work editing newspapers, magazines, and books, Rodney Clapp offers tips and guidance for the span of the writing process—from nurturing an idea, to effective writing, to publication. This workshop will focus on book writing and publication. It will be of special interest both to scholars and those writing for a more general or popular readership. Clapp will begin with a discussion of arriving at and cultivating a book idea. He will then discuss what makes for successful (and enjoyable) writing. Finally, he will zero in on crafting appealing proposals and presentations to book publishers. Throughout, he will provide glimpses behind the “Wizard of Oz’s” curtain, with what happens in the sometimes mystifying process of writing and publishing books. Clapp will encourage questions and suggestions from participants, who are free to bring their own ideas and experiences into the discussion.
Rodney Clapp is an editor at Cascade Books, focusing on the subjects of theology, theological ethics, and popular culture. He has been an editor at Oklahoma newspapers, Christianity Today, InterVarsity Press, Evangelicals for Social Action, and Brazos Press (which he cofounded). For five years, he wrote the American Soundings column for The Christian Century. He is the author of ten books, most recently Living Out of Control: Political and Personal Faith in Waning Christendom. Other, award-winning, titles include A Peculiar People: The Church as Culture in a Post-Christian Society and Tortured Wonders: Christian Spirituality for People, Not Angels. He has lectured at dozens of universities throughout North America, including the University of Virginia, Duke Divinity School, Baylor University, and Middlebury College. He now lives in Sweet Home, Oregon, with his spouse, Sandy, and a beloved chocolate labradoodle, Ury. Connect with Rodney here.
Registration Fee: $45.00
2.
Strategies for Cultivating a Writing and Publishing Agenda while Teaching Full-time
Lead Presenter/Facilitator: Robert Woods, Executive Director, Christianity and Communication Studies Network
Date/Time: Thursday, June 5, 2025 | 11:30 am – 3:00 pm EDT
Description: Faculty and administrators in Christian higher education who desire to write and publish are faced with unique challenges, including heavy teaching and student advising loads, limited resources, and a campus culture where classroom instruction is valued above research. How can individuals balance quality teaching and administration with a desire to do scholarship that integrates a Christian worldview and transforms lives? How do they “find time” to write when are faced with all the other things that go along with being a faculty member and administrator in Christian higher education?
Robert will share strategies from his own publishing experiences and conversations with more than 75 faculty from 50+ Christian colleges and universities about practical ways to cultivate a productive research and publishing agenda while carrying a full-time teaching load. Topics include motivations for writing, communication habits that help promote writing, and strategies for developing content for books. Outlining, writing schedules, and other strategies for bringing a project from concept to final publication will also be discussed. Participants will have an opportunity to connect with other authors and potential collaborators, and several Christian publishers.
Robert Woods (PhD, Regent University) served as Professor of Communication and Media at Spring Arbor University for 20 years. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Christianity and Communication Studies Network (CCSN) (www.theccsn.com), a non-profit network providing resources and training on faith-learning integration in the field of communication studies. He is the editor-in-chief of the CCSN’s imprint, Integratio Press. Dr. Woods has served as the President of the Religious Communication Association (RCA) and was named Scholar of the Year by RCA. He is the recipient of multiple research and scholarship awards and the editor/author of over a dozen books. Most recently, Dr. Woods is the co-author with Paul Patton on Everyday Sabbath: How to Lead Your Dance with Media and Technology in Mindful and Sacred Ways and Professing Christ: Christian Tradition and Faith-learning Integration in Public Universities. His book co-authored with Kevin Healey (University of New Hampshire), titled Ethics and Religion in the Age of Social Media: Digital Proverbs for Responsible Citizens received the Book of the Year Award from RCA. He recently served as a visiting scholar at Trinity Western University. Connect with Robert here.
Registration Fee: $45.00