Read More, Read Well
By WellReadMom
It can be a challenge to make time to read in a world that never stops. Developing and maintaining the ability for deep reading isn’t something we can take for granted. Millions of Americans won’t read a single book this year. Don’t let yourself be one of them.
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Read More, Read Well May 11, 2023
A Closer Look Episode: Love Letters to a Child
In the final episode of our very first season, Marcie interviews author Tracey Finck about her book, "Love Letters to a Child".
Do you long to connect deeply with your children, but don't know how? Tracey shares that journaling for her children turned out to be one of the most effective things she did as a parent, and she can help you get started. Use this podcast as a sneak peek, then get Tracey's book in the Well-Read Mom store.
Thanks for following during our first season of the Read More, Read Well Podcast, and we look forward to having you back for new episodes starting again in August!
Connecting with Your Family Through Literature: Episode 3
"I love this book...somebody's got to read it!" Have you ever felt this way? We love to share things that are important to us, and they help us connect with those we love. In this final episode in the series Connecting with Your Family Through Literature, Janel, Eric, and Elisabeth discuss how sharing books with your family is an amazing way to grow deeper in your relationship with them.
Connecting with Your Family Through Literature: Episode 2
Would you love something that connects you with your spouse in a way that's deeper than just watching a TV show together? Try adding some literature to your lives. Janel, Eric, and Elisabeth talk about how reading can bring you closer to your spouse, even if you're not reading the same book!
Connecting with Your Family Through Literature: Episode 1
One great reason to add literature to your life is the way it can help us connect with our family. Janel is joined in this series by Eric and Elisabeth Cyr, who are avid readers and parents of young children. They use literature as a way to connect, teach, and grow as a family.
Lifelong Learning: Episode 2
In this second episode of the series Lifelong Learning, Janel and Karen talk about sharing the wisdom you gain through the years with those around you, and how important reading is to gain that wisdom.
Lifelong Learning: Episode 1
It is never too late to learn, and never too early either! Janel and Karen talk in this series on lifelong learning - from reading childhood books to picking up a book as a grandma, our lives can always be enriched by learning.
A Closer Look Episode: The Gift of Forgiveness
This week, author and speaker Elizabeth Kely Shares a beautiful Lenten reflection on the gift of forgiveness. Elizabeth's new book, A Place Called Golgotha: Meditations on the Last Words of Christ is available from The Word Among Us at The Word Among Us Press: A Place Called Golgotha: Meditations on the Last Words of Christ (wau.org)
Why Read? Episode 4
We've been looking at some unexpected answers to the question "Why Read?" and Episode 4 dives into one of the most important answers of all - creating a cultural dialogue that could help bring more love, empathy, and listening to our culture.
Why Read? Episode 3
This week Nicole and Janel talk about Why Read? Reason #3: Developing a practice of self-reflection and spiritual growth. We can all use some help understanding ourselves a little better, and characters in literature can help us hold that mirror up to our own souls.
Why Read? Episode 2
Join Janel and Nicole as they explore reason #2: Literature as a connection to the Body of Christ. How does reading help us connect with one another? Listen to learn more!
Why Read? Episode 1
We all know there are benefits to reading, but in this series "Why Read?" Janel and Nicole explore 4 reasons to read literature, and they are ones you may not expect!
A Closer Look Episode: How to Choose and Read a Worthy Book
In this encore presentation, members of the Well-Read Mom team share some criteria for how to choose a worthy book, and how we can approach reading these great books so they make the most change in our lives.
How to Start Deep Reading: Episode 4
"In deep reading, we see a world we didn't see before." - Marcie Stokman
In today's podcast, Janel and Marcie take one last look at deep reading. It's more difficult than just skimming a book, but the payoff is worth it!
How to Start Deep Reading: Episode 3
Does taking time to deep read feel like a waste of time? Choosing to spend your time reading can seem countercultural in a world that exists so much on devices, but as Janel and Marcie talk about in this episode, it is worth it for so many reasons!
How to Start Deep Reading: Episode 2
Marcie and Janel continue to talk about creating a deep reading habit, from slowing down and taking baby steps, to understanding why deep reading is so important to our minds and souls.
How to Start Deep Reading: Episode 1
The way we read in our culture has been drastically changing. We're moving more and more into digital reading, but we might be missing out on the important and fulfilling skill of deep reading. In the first episode of the Series, "How to Start Deep Reading" Marcie Stokman and Janel talk about how we can start a deep reading practice, step by step.
A Closer Look Episode: Marcie Stokman and Dean Kimberly Shankman on Giving
We're in the middle of the "giving season", and Marcie and Dean Shankman take a closer look at how we can accept the gifts of the Great Giver - no matter if they seem good at the time or not. We've all been given great gifts in our lives, if we can recognize them!
How to Start a Book Club with Hospitality: Episode 3
Are you a reluctant host or hostess? Janel and Ana talk in this final episode of the series "How to Start a Book Club with Hospitality" about overcoming the hurdle of inviting people in. Things don't have to be perfect, you just have to believe in what you're doing!
How to Start a Book Club with Hospitality: Episode 2
What is hospitality? Is it a lost art in our fast-paced, individualized culture? Janel and Ana talk about what hospitality really means, and how we can receive people into our homes, and even radiate light and love to all who enter.
How to Start a Book Club with Hospitality: Episode 1
Janel is joined by Ana Braga-Henebry to start the series, "How to Start a Book Club with Hospitality." In Episode 1, we hear about the spark of courage and leap of faith it takes to put yourself out there and invite others to a new book club. We're confident you can find it in you!
Reading with Kids in the House: Episode 3
In the final episode of the series, "Reading with Kids in the House" Janel and Dana talk over the ways a support system among friends and family can help you build a reading practice. Your kids can even be your biggest cheerleaders in getting that huge book finished!
Reading with Kids in the House: Episode 2
This week Janel and Dana talk about another strategy to fit reading into your family life - utilizing audiobooks. How and when are the best ways to make use of these resources, and how can you get your family involved too? Find out more!
This is Episode 2 of the series "How to read with Kids in the House".
Reading with Kids in the House: Episode 1
Do you struggle to fit reading into your daily life? Especially with small children in the house! Join Janel and Dana as they explore ways to fit reading pockets into your day, and swap out some activities for more reading time. This episode is the first in the series: "Reading with Kids in the House".
Well-Read Mom Podcast Guest Starring Margaret Cronin on the Importance of Leisure
Highlights include:
We need true leisure now more than ever
How rest is different than entertainment
Training our gaze to be able to give full attention - even amid extreme tiredness
Being fully present to another is a holy moment
Our sisterhood with other women can help us restore ourselves
Attending a Well-Read Mom group is not an escape from reality but helps us to engage again
Engaging in authentic leisure benefits the wider culture
A place to unfold and receive
Pray for the friendships that we need
Margaret Cronin is a member of Well-Read Mom and the Dean of Academics at Magnolia School in Houston, TX.
Why Literature Matters and "How to Read (and Write) like a Catholic" - an interview with Joshua Hren
Highlights include:
- When is a book ok to read? Discerning the line
- If I'm scrupulous, should I even read literature?
- What is the possibility of restoring the Catholic literary tradition?
- Are you concerned with classics or worthy books being canceled in our current culture?
- Why do we need literature?
Joshua Hren is the founder and publisher of Wiseblood Books, perhaps the most distinguished and ambitious small literary press of our day. He has published two collections of short stories, "This Our Exile" and "In the Wine Press," as well as "Middle-earth and the Return of the Common Good: J.R.R. Tolkien and Political Philosophy." His first novel, "Infinite Regress," is forthcoming from Angelico Press; his introduction to Catholic letters, "How to Read (and Write) like a Catholic," is available from TAN Books.
https://tanbooks.com/products/books/liberal-arts/literature/how-to-read-and-write-like-a-catholic/
https://news.stthom.edu/ust--announces--a-new-master-of-fine-arts-program-in-creative-writing/
St. Francis DeSales and St. Jane de Chantal: How They Help Ordinary People Live Holy Lives with Fr. John Burns, Marcie Stokman, and Colleen Hutt
Highlights:
11:00 How do you know if you are making progress in the spiritual life?
Am I good enough? Am I secure in the love of God?
13:46 What if I don't have time to pray?
15:20 Can changing a diaper be a prayer?
18:18 Be both Martha and Mary
20:10 Living with intense suffering.
23:18 Getting a reset; remembering who we are
25:29 How can I possibly do all I have to do?
29:49 The key to living in the present
31:37 Simplifying is a move toward God.
35:19 What to do about division in families
39:39 Why is it easier for women to be alone with God?
43:21 Vocations for women and why women religious are needed in the church today
47:31 How does a woman know if she has a call to a religious vocation?
51:59 A powerful prayer before Christmas
Father John Burns is a priest for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. He studied business marketing at the University of Notre Dame, but later realized a deeper call to preach the infinite love of God with his whole life. Ordained a priest in 2010, he has served in parish ministry and taught moral theology in the seminary. Father John also works extensively with religious communities of women and has provided with retreats and conferences for Sisters in Africa, Europe, and the United States. He is the author of the book Lift Up Your Heart: A 10-Day Personal Retreat. Father John recently completed his doctoral studies on the theology of healing through forgiveness.
How to use your Between the Lines Reading Journal
It's so important to capture the insights that we gain from literature! Listen in to this podcast about how to use the Between the Lines Reading Journal. Find out more and purchase one here: https://wellreadmom.com/between-the-lines-journal/
The podcast includes:
- Capturing the beauty of the life that happens between the lines
- Don't be afraid to start writing in your Between the Lines Journal - you can't fail!
- A way to take hold of your days
- Use you are feeling particularly weighed down with details
- Slow down to see the golden thread of life happening in the ordinary
- Be aware of what your reading is teaching you
- Don't miss seeing what is happening in your life, miracles happen here!
It's okay to make room for reading literature! Literature and Spiritual Growth with Gregory Wolfe
Highlights of this podcast include:
- How to become an active reader?
- Why is reading meant to be a communal act?
- Experiencing renewal through deep attention
- How is loneliness healed?
- What is the danger of living in a utilitarian way?
- Why are we so stressed out? What is the remedy?
- What uplifts me is not just a sitcom or happy ending?
- What really uplifts me?
- Why do women read more than men?
- Women are in the trenches of daily experience.
Gregory Wolfe is a writer, teacher, editor, and publisher. In 1989 he founded Image—one of America’s leading literary journals, which he edited for thirty years. He was also the founding director of the Seattle Pacific University MFA in Creative Writing program.
Wolfe brings to the position more than three decades of experience as an editor, publisher, writer, teacher, and thought leader in the realms of art, literature, and religion.
Wolfe is the founder of Image—one of America’s leading literary journals, which he edited for thirty years. He was also the founding director of the Seattle Pacific University MFA in Creative Writing program. Wolfe’s writing has appeared in numerous publications, including the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, and America. In 2005 he was a judge for the National Book Awards. His books include Beauty Will Save the World, Intruding Upon the Timeless, and The Operation of Grace. He is married to the novelist, Suzanne M. Wolfe. They are the parents of four grown children and live in Richmond Beach, Washington.
My Years With Corrie Ten Boom: A Well-Read Mom Interview With Ellen Stamps
Ellen Stamps tells her story of working with Corrie ten Boom, author of Well-Read Mom book pick The Hiding Place, in an interview with Well-Read Mom founder, Marcie Stokman. Learn more about Corrie and her sister and how they were able to survive and forgive. What an amazing and inspiring story of faith!
Purposeful Parenting and Finding Time to Read with Tonja Milligan
The number one reason that women give for not reading is "not enough time." Join Marcie Stokman, founder of Well-Read Mom, as she talks with Tonya Milligan, author of No Perfect Parent, Just a Perfect Purpose: Keys to Unlocking Every Child's Greatness. They'll discuss purposeful parenting strategies that will help you make and take the time to read!
Tonya Milligan (Author)
https://bookshop.org/books/no-perfect-parent-just-a-perfect-purpose-keys-to-unlocking-every-child-s-greatness/9781948638302?aid=2155&listref=books-recommended-on-our-well-read-mom-podcast
Great Books for Kids During COVID-19: Well-Read Mom's Family Supplement
We thought some of our women might want some ideas for meaningful books to hand to their kids during this unexpected time at home. This is the first year Well-Read Mom has included a Family Supplement with membership. Our hope is to encourage great books for kids that follow along with our theme of the year. This way, the conversations we are having in our groups can also be shared with our families.
In this podcast Marcie Stokman, Alison Solove and Charity Hill discuss:
- How the Family Supplement came about
- An example of educating the moral imagination through literature.
- How to use the Family Supplement with three different age groups
- How important it is to get great books into kids’ hands and promote meaningful conversations within families
To learn more about Well-Read Mom's Family Supplement - Go to: www.WellReadMom.com
You can find the books mentioned in this podcast here:
https://bookshop.org/shop/wellreadmom
On Being at Home (with joy!) in These Uncertain Days
Marcie Stokman, president and founder of Well-Read Mom interviews Ana Braga-Henebry on how we can be at home in beautiful way with our children during these days.
"Yes, you can do this - even joyfully!"
Our discussion includes:
- Lingering around the table
- Bringing order into our days
- Ideas for prayer time and rhythm
- Prioritizing joy
- Confidence in the authority we've been given as others
- Managing devices
Ana Braga-Henebry grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, majored in Art Education, and received a Master’s degree in Humanities from the University of Texas at Dallas. In her chosen life as a wife and mother, Ana has found time and inspiration to write on family life and literature for different periodicals. Ana is a lifetime educator in various levels, a book reviewer and educational resources content-creator. Having a life-long love for Literature, Ana has led book clubs for women for many years.
Great question! Answers to your most frequently asked questions about Well-Read Mom membership
During this episode, Well-Read Mom co-directors Nicole and Janel answer the most frequently asked questions about Well-Read Mom's membership terms including:
- How following the theme and booklist for the year allows us to go deeper into our understanding of ourselves as women
- How the audios help facilitate discussion and connect us to the broader movement - unity not uniformity
- Why Well-Read Mom charges a membership fee and what that fee goes toward
- Why the booklist is for members-only
- Why the discussion questions in our Companion (Reading Guide) vary month to month and in style - and how to use questions that work for your group
Have another burning questions? Email us: info@wellreadmom.com or use the message feature on Anchor to send in your voice message.
Happy reading!
You can find out more at WellReadMom.com.
What are the criteria for a Well-Read Mom book selection?
We'll discuss the importance of tradition, humanity, and art in literature.
We'll also consider whether it is possible to interact with, study, consider, and read books that stretch us outside our comfort zone? Books that include objectionable content, written by authors whose world-view, behavior, or experiences may at times diverge from what is virtuous and moral?
If so, how should we read these books?
You'll also hear more about the specific method that Well-Read Mom groups use in their monthly meetings: Read, compare, share, and accompany.
Panelists include:
Marcie Stokman, president and founder of Well-Read Mom, Inc., mother of seven, grandmother of eleven
Colleen Hutt, graduate of Notre Dame's liberal arts program, "retired" parish minister, mother, and volunteer organizer of the Well-Read Mom pilgrimage
Carla Galdo has a B.A. in Spanish Literature and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia, and a M.T.S. from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies in Marriage and Family in Washington, D.C. She is a wife and mother, is blessed to live on a hobby farm in small town Virginia, and to homeschool her five children.
Janel Lewandowski, co-director of Well-Read Mom, M.A. in Pastoral Studies from the St. Paul School of Divinity at the St. Paul Seminary, wife and mother of five.
Why Art Matters for Women: Interview with Art Historian, Elizabeth Lev
Elizabeth Lev is an art historian, bestselling author, international speaker and certified sommelier. She teaches Baroque, Renaissance and Christian Art at Duquesne University in Rome.
She is also the author of "How Catholic Art Saved the Faith - The Triumph of Beauty and Truth in Counter-Reformation Art" published by Sophia Press.
https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/how-catholic-art-saved-the-faith
In this podcast, Marcie Stokman and Elizabeth Lev will discuss:
the importance beauty has in our lives
why all people need to believe in beauty
how women in particular have a resonance toward beauty
how our culture has hijacked beauty for prettiness
Enjoy!
Well-Read Mom - An Answer to the Loneliness Epidemic?
Marcie Stokman and Janel Lewandowski, both of Well-Read Mom, discuss how reading good literature together fosters friendship - the kind of friendships we really need. According to a recent YouGov poll, twenty-two percent of Millenials reported not having a single friend. Could the friendships fostered in Well-Read Mom book groups be an answer to this loneliness epidemic?
To find out more or join a group near you, find us at www.WellReadMom.com.
Introducing the Well-Read Mom Family Supplement
Want to share your love of reading and beauty with your family? Listen to find out what the Well-Read Mom Family Supplement is and how to use it.
Find out more at: WellReadMom.com
Tolkien's Fairy-Stories with Dr. Scott Moringiello
Marcie Stokman, founder of Well-Read Mom, interviews Dr. Scott Moringiello, Catholic Studies Professor at DePaul University. They discuss Tolkien's "On Fairy-Stories." Their conversation gives great insight into what adults can gain from reading fairy stories, why we don't grow out of these stories of joy, and how they educate us to the bigger story of our lives as it relates to creation and redemption.
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Find out more at www.WellReadMom.com.
Introducing Well-Read Mom's 'Year of the Artist' with Liz Kelly - What is art? How does it communicate truth?
Well-Read Mom Founder Marcie Stokman and her daughter Beth Nelson introduce the 'Year of the Artist' as our 2019-2020 theme for the year.
Liz (Elizabeth) Kelly, a native Minnesotan, is a noted speaker, retreat leader and award-winning author, whose works include short stories, arts and music reviews, books on prayer and worship, and meditations on faith, spiritual struggle, and Christian womanhood. She has written seven books, including May Crowning, Mass, and Merton: 50 Reasons I Love Being Catholic, which won the Catholic Press Association first place award for Best Popular Presentation of the Faith in 2007. She is also the author of “The Wind,” a short story nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2001. You can find out more about her at lizk.org.
Highlights include:
How to develop the artist within
Tips for developing artistic ability when you already feel stretched thin
Art as a way of communicating truth
How can an atheist or a person living a lifestyle many of us would not agree with produce art that conveys beauty and truth?
The ways to distinguish good art from bad art
Similarly, how to evaluate the books we read
What kind of art has moved you and why?
Marcie and Liz also touch on Marcie's upcoming book "The Well-Read Mom." Coming soon!
Find out more at www.WellReadMom.com.
The Art of Homemaking: Interview with Well-Read Mom Ana Braga-Henebry
Ana inspires us to create beauty, cultivate love, and open our homes in hospitality. Learn how each one of us is the artist of our own home and family life. And, here's Ana's fool-proof receive for entertaining:
Ana's Brazilian Chicken Recipe
Sauté cubed chicken in olive oil, crushed garlic and salt.
Add sliced onions and tomatoes or Ro-tel. Let it simmer for half hour to 40 minutes.
Add 8oz cream cheese per 1.5 of chicken or so. Let it soften and mix well.
Before serving, garnish with plenty of fresh chopped herbs: any combination of Cilantro, parsley, basil.
Serve over rice, or anything you like! Serve in a vegetable as a side. If you are familiar with hearts of palm, add one or two cans rinsed, sliced hearts of palm chopped to this dish to make it extremely Brazilian and delicious.
Quantities are whatever you want depending on how many people are you feeding. Enjoy!