Adventhology

Editor's note: I love Advent, and I love storytelling. So it's pretty natural that I'd love the idea behind the fabulous Adventhology project, which combines the two. Add into the mix that the four authors involved are all brilliant, and you have a recipe for success! I've already read the contribution by our very own Dorian Speed, "The Bells of Bethlehem", and can't wait to order the other three! Why not make this part of your Advent preparations this year? Enjoy! LMH

Adventhology, the brainchild of Ryan Charles Trusell, features the writing of four Catholic bloggers in hand-crafted booklet form. Trusell started his own writing and printmaking business, in his words, "to parlay my favorite avocations (writing + design + printmaking) into a proper occupation, and hopefully create a venue wherefrom I might add one more unique voice to the growing song of the New Evangelization." Adventhology follows on the heels of Trusell's Ora et Labora et Zombies - an epistolary novel, told through hand-written letters.

This new micropublishing adventure brings together four short pieces by four well-known Catholic bloggers, united by the common theme of the season of Advent and its culmination at Christmas. Each piece is published separately, as its own small booklet, of fine paper with a hand-printed softcover. Contributors Simcha Fisher, Dan Lord, Dorian Speed, and Brandon Vogt offer distinct perspectives on Advent and the Christmas season. Fisher's "The Christ Child in Ordinary Time" offers a reflection on the beauty of the liturgical year, particularly for families who struggle to keep the Advent season simple and meaningful amid all of the Christmas frenzy. Dan Lord's short story "The Offended" taps into our fear of the grotesque and turns the idea of ugliness on its head. Speed's "The Bells of Bethlehem" focuses on memory and nostalgia, particularly the modern habit of capturing everything on camera lest it be forgotten. And Vogt's"The Strange King" looks at the Christmas story as a subversive critique of what our culture tends to value.

Adventhology is a unique gift, available as a set of four or as individual pieces. Read more about this project at Labora Editions.