Thin Space vol. 10—Sojourn
photo: Lucas Brito
On Thursday, May 8, the Literary Practicum Team (LPT) hosted their reveal party for Volume 10 of Thin Space Art & Theology Journal. At the event, attendees enjoyed a beautiful charcuterie spread. Then, six of the featured artists shared their work with the audience, a highlight of which was Dean Brett Mitchell’s moving artist statement for his photograph “Hill of Crosses.”
This year’s Thin Space theme was “Sojourn,” which the team described as follows:
There is a melody that lives in each of our hearts,
A song we were created to sing, in a homeland
we have not yet seen.
Created for our God, we yearn for something more
than the broken earth on which we trod.
With hope grasped in our hands and heaven incarnate
in our hearts,
we make our temporary home in the same creation
God Himself inhabited unto redemption.
We build houses and plant gardens and sing,
ever sing, the song of our homeland, that through it,
God may awaken its holy echo in hearts
that have long lain fallow.
Until that day when the restored chorus shall break
out from heaven and earth.
We pray, “Come, Lord Jesus.”
The LPT announced this theme to the Moody community in October. As the fall semester progressed, they hosted multiple workshops, spurring Moody students on in their creative process. By the January 6 submission deadline, the LPT had received over 200 submissions in fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, photography, visual art, and music. The majority of submissions came from current Moody students. However, several faculty, staff, and alumni also contributed their creative work.
Every year, a highlight of the Thin Space production process is the curation retreat. On the retreat, the team spends an entire weekend carefully and anonymously considering each submission. They weigh each written piece, photograph, work of art against carefully crafted criteria. They select those pieces which best communicate the theme with theological thoughtfulness and artistry. Then, they lay out the entire volume, giving careful consideration to each spread and the flow of the entire book—which developed into three movements: Abode, Voyage, and Destination.
This year’s LPT staff was Katelyn Tootle (Creative Director), Laura Markham (Business Manager), Josie Praytor (Lead Writer), Callahan Barton (Writer), Elijah Rickard (Writer), Dawson Trimble (Lead Designer), Aravelle Boone (Designer), Jordan Mitschelen (Designer), Lucas Brito (Lead Photographer), Ethan Luzuriaga (Photographer), Rae Maxwell (Art Liason), and Professor Kelli Worrall (Faculty Advisor). And they are overjoyed to share this 10th anniversary edition of Thin Space with you!
Moody community, copies of Thin Space vol. 10 are available on Chapman 1.
Are you a current Moody student (of any major)?
Or a prospective Moody student, ready to share your creative gifts?
There is a seat for you at the Thin Space table.
Come and create with us!
If you’d like more information about the Literary Practicum team or Thin Space Art & Theology Journal, please email LPT Faculty Advisor, Professor Kelli Worrall, at kelli.worrall@moody.edu.
