Editor’s Note: This is a poem by El Paso’s Karah Ballew. I’m not asking your permission To be who I really am I’ve had strength enough to find me And I won’t be lost again I’m not asking your permission To live a life I am fulfilled in I won’t filter my ambitions Through the lens of your religion I don’t need your acceptance I don’t need your validation Or your support for my existence Or your promise of salvation... Read more
Editor’s Note: This is a contribution from Heather Hamilton, author of the book Returning to Eden, which was published in 2023 by Quoir Publishing. It’s the season of Thanksgiving in the United States. Some years, it is easy to celebrate. Other years, it takes effort to push through the weight of the world and get to a “thank you”. If this is a year for you where “thank you” feels like a natural overflow, rejoice and rejoice and rejoice. Savor... Read more
Editor’s Note: This is a contribution from Heather Hamilton, author of the book Returning to Eden, which was published in 2023 by Quoir Publishing. I am honored to be a contributor to the new Patheos + Quoir bestselling book, Sitting in the Shade of Another Tree. In my chapter, “Christ and the Kundalini”, I discuss how learning a new language (Hinduism) helped me to better understand my own “mother tongue” (Christianity). I’ll start with a little context beginning with a verse... Read more
*Editor’s Note: This is a contribution from E.A. Brighton, whose children’s book, The Wisdom Tree, will be out on November 21 on Quoir Publishing I have been told more times than I can count that I have a lot of kids. I do. I have been a mom to five kiddos that span a 13-year age range, for over 18 years now. I am confident in it. I am good at it. I’m not perfect. I have certainly made my... Read more
*Editor’s Note: This is a contribution from Dillon Naber Cruz, whose book, Theological Musings, is out now on Quoir Publishing Many Christians of various conservative varieties say that we people should follow the Bible literally. With that in mind, let’s do a quick dive into a hot button topic that has the Republican party in America up in arms as they drag out all of the xenophobic tropes at their disposal to scare voters about people attempting to come into... Read more
*Editor’s Note: This is a contribution from Brandon Andress, whose book, And So By Fire, is out now on Quoir Publishing The warm radiance of the July sun quickly faded into a dank, unwelcome coolness. Thick, imposing cement walls surrounded us on each side as a silent sobriety paralyzed our group. At once, the gas chamber door closed behind us. Moving slowly to one side through the crowd, I rested my back against the cold, hard wall and closed my... Read more
*Editor’s Note: This is a contribution from Jon Turney, whose book, RJ the Astronaut, will be out on Quoir Publishing sometime in 2024 This on its face value seems a bit extreme. But there is nuance to my statement. As we see conservative after conservative bastardize the language of Jesus to perpetuate their endgame of hate, violence, and bigotry, it has become easier and easier to step away from the moniker of Christian. There is not a day that... Read more
*Editor’s Note: This is a contribution from Dillon Naber Cruz, whose book, Theological Musings, will be out on Quoir Publishing August 22, 2023 The white supremacists are at it again in America. Ron DeFascist, I mean, Ron DeSantis, has implemented an anti-educational policy for Florida’s schools that teaches that the enslaved benefited from slavery. Meanwhile, country music star Jason Aldean released a video for his racist dog whistle song entitled Try that in a small town. The video features footage... Read more
*Editor’s Note: This is a contribution from Martha Elias Downey, author of Go Wide, now available from Quoir Publishing. When we read stories, be they biblical texts or historical accounts or fiction, we tend to identify with the characters who are portrayed in positive ways. We don’t usually think of ourselves as the villains in the narrative. The same can hold true for our personal stories. We tend to see ourselves as good people, not perfect perhaps, but certainly not... Read more
*This article is written by Matthew J. Distefano, author of The Wisdom of Hobbits and other books. It’s no secret that cannabis was used all throughout the ancient world—in places like Egypt and Israel, for example—and in a variety of ways. As a textile, hemp—marijuana’s more “benign” cousin—is second to none. It’s strong, light, and durable, so much so that even the American paratroopers of WWII had their chutes made out of it. Furthermore, given cannabis’ psychoactive and medicinal properties,... Read more
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