June 21-23, 2013

Speakers 

James Como — Communication consultant, lecturer, writer and teacher, James Como holds advanced degrees in medieval English literature (Fordham University), in Public and Group Communication (Queens College), and in Language, Literature and Rhetoric (Columbia University) and is Professor Emeritus of Rhetoric and Public Communication at York College (CUNY) where, upon joining the faculty in 1968, he established the Speech discipline.  He is most well known for his book C.S. Lewis at the Breakfast Table and Other Reminisces. A founding member of the New York C. S. Lewis Society (1969), his latest book is Why I Believe Narnia: Thirty-three Essays and Reviews on the Life and Work of C. S. Lewis.

Paul Ford — Dr. Ford studied for the priesthood for the then diocese of Monterey-Fresno, 1961–1973, but was never ordained. He was a Benedictine monk at St. Andrew’s Abbey, Valyermo, from 1973–1978. Dr. Ford was the first Roman Catholic in the doctoral program at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. His primary areas of competence are ecclesiology, spirituality, and music and liturgy; his secondary areas are Mariology and chant. He is an internationally recognized authority on the life and writings of C. S. Lewis. His award-winning book, Companion to Narnia (HarperCollins) is now in its fourth edition.

Malcolm Guite — Anglican priest, Chaplain & Fellow, Girton College, Cambridge, Guite teaches Literature and Pastoral Theology for the Cambridge Federation of Theological Colleges. He is involved with a number of projects linking theology and the arts, and has published poetry, literary criticism and theology in various journals. His books include Beholding the Glory and What Do Christians Believe? He contributed to The Cambridge Companion to C.S. Lewis. His newest collection of poetry, Sounding the Seasons, was released this year.  Last year Malcolm worked with artist Steve Bell on his newest album Keening for the Dawn. As founder of the rock band, Mystery Train, he writes lyrics and performs on guitar and vocals.

Peter Kreeft — Professor of philosophy at Boston College and also at the King’s College (Empire State Building), in New York City. He is a regular contributor to several Christian publications, is in wide demand as a speaker at conferences, and is the author of over 55 books including: Back to Virtue; The God Who Loves You; Heaven, The Heart’s Deepest Longing; Everything You wanted to Know About Heaven; Your Questions – God’s Answers; How To Win The Culture War; The Journey; Before I Go – Letters to Our Children About What Really Matters; and Jesus Shock.  He earned an A.B. degree from Calvin College, an M.A. and Ph.D. from Fordham University, followed by post-doctoral work at Yale University. He has received several honors for achievements in the field of philosophy, including the Woodrow Wilson Award, Yale-Sterling Fellowship, Newman Alumni Scholarship, Danforth Asian Religions Fellowship, and a Weathersfield Homeland Foundation Fellowship.

Artists 

Steve Bell — Steve Bell’s career began with a music- making family, grew into a personal fascination with playing guitar, evolved into the lifestyle of a working musician and found its fruition in the musical niche of singer / songwriter. In the late 1980’s, deep in the midst of a spiritual awakening (and a career crisis), Steve realized that his passion for crafting artful songs was incomplete without a profound connection to his Christian spirituality: “My faith is the governing feature of my life, so that’s what I draw on most often.” His most recent album, Keening for the Dawn, was created in conjunction with Malcolm Guite and released in 2012.  Last year Steve was the recipient of  the 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal  awarded to select Canadians who have “made a significant contribution to their fellow countrymen, their community, or to Canada over the previous sixty years.

Anthony Lawton — Founder of The Mirror Theatre Company, the mission statement of which is:  “Spiritual theatre for a secular audience.”  He taught acting and directing for two years at the University of Notre Dame where he earned a B.A. in Classics and an M.F.A. in Acting from Temple University.  He has acted professionally for 14 years, mostly in Philadelphia.  He is well known for his one-man shows:  Shel Silverstein’s “The Devil and Billy Markham,” and his own adaptations of C.S. Lewis’ “The Great Divorce” and “The Screwtape Letters,” as well as Frederick Buechner’s “Godric.”

Mark Jennings – Writer and performer for Face-to-Face Theatre Company of National City, CA; Coach for the local improv troupe, San Diego Theatresports. Mark hails from England and has performed in diverse settings—from London’s House of Parliament to California’s Venice Beach. He formerly traveled as a member of Rev. David Watson’s UK-based worship and performing arts team. Mark has lately been seen performing frequently in the role of “Sir Arthur Dimworthy.”

Track Leaders 

Diana Pavlac Glyer — Professor of English at Azusa Pacific University. She has been widely recognized for her work on C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Inklings, including contributions to The C.S. Lewis Readers’ Encyclopedia and C.S. Lewis: Life, Works, and Legacy. She is the recipient of the Wade Center’s Clyde S. Kilby Research Grant (1997), APU’s Chase A. Sawtell Inspirational Teaching Award (2002), the Imperishable Flame Award for Tolkien Studies (2007), and the Mythopoeic Society Scholarship Award (2008). She is the author of Clay in the Potter’s Hands and The Company They Keep: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien as Writers in Community.

Andrew Lazo — Speaker and writer on C.S. Lewis and his fellow Inklkings. Andrew holds an M.A. in Modernist British Literature from Rice University where he was Javits Fellow in the Humanities, and a B.A. in English with minors in Latin and Medieval Studies from UC Davis; he is currently completing a Master of Arts in Teaching.  When not teaching English at St. Thomas High School in Houston, Andrew is in much demand as a popular retreat, conference, and seminar speaker on C. S. Lewis.  Andrew has published several articles and book reviews on C. S. Lewis and other Inklings and co-edited Mere Christians: Inspiring Encounters with C. S. Lewis (Baker Books, 2009).

Richard Platt — Author.  Richard Platt has been in love with words and the music of language all his life, but he did not begin writing until his early forties. He is a contributor to literary quarterly Slightly Foxed and was a finalist for a 2012 San Diego Foundation Creative Catalyst Fellowship for his one-man play, Ripples From Walden Pond: An Evening with Henry David Thoreau. As One Devil to Another, his first novel, is dedicated in grateful homage to C. S. Lewis. Richard and his wife, Susan, live in California

*Program subject to change

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