The Warble
The Official Blog of Karen Ullo
Where to Find Catholic Fiction
There’s been an awful lot of ink spilled about the rebirth, revitalization, and re-enchanting of Catholic literature in the last several years, complete with the proliferation of journals, publishing houses, and conferences. But did you know there has also been a similar effort to revitalize the marketing and availability of Catholic fiction? Several new ventures have emerged to help readers—as well as parents, teachers, and librarians—connect to all the good work being done in the name of Catholic fiction. Below are the ones I know about. If you know of any others, please spread the word in the comments!
Cathy Gilmore is in the process of building a platform to connect media consumers of all ages to books, movies, and other media that promote one simple thing: virtue. Her vision is comprehensive, looking to serve all ages and genres, including everything from boutique small press fiction to Hollywood blockbusters. Virtue Works Media will eventually bring its catalog directly into parishes, Catholic schools, parish schools of religion, conferences, and anywhere else Catholics gather. Cathy is on a mission to make sure Catholics know they can get their entertainment from a Catholic source and still find works of the very highest quality.
As a start, she’s put together Five Fave Top Ten Lists of books and a few movies for ages preschool through adult. I’ve read enough of the books to know, these are good lists.
Lizette Lantigua is determined to oust Scholastic from Catholic schools by creating Good News! Book Fair. She offers fairs at every level, from elementary through college, as well as fairs for Catholic parishes or organizations. The books cover every possible genre, fiction and non-fiction alike, hopefully replacing some of the vapid secular offerings with something better, in every sense of the word.
Catholic Reads is a brand-spanking-new program launched in 2017, designed to be the Catholic equivalent of BookBub. Every book they review must be offered at a significant discount to receive promotion through the site. Alyssa Watson and her team are a bunch of unabashed sci-fi/ fantasy/ horror nerds—in other words, my kind of people—but the site offers every kind of fiction, from picture books on up.
Catholic Teen Books is a co-op of about ten Catholic YA authors who write in a variety of genres. They also have a Facebook Page with a slightly broader membership, dedicated to promoting Catholic-themed fiction for middle and high school students.
Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval
The Catholic writers Guild Seal of Approval is designed to help Catholic bookstores find good work to fill their shelves, so it is geared toward retailers rather than readers. Some of the venues mentioned above use it as a shortcut to approving books for their own catalogs. You can find a list of books that have received it on Goodreads.
Happy Reading!
Karen Ullo is the author of two novels, Jennifer the Damned and Cinder Allia. She is also the managing editor of Dappled Things literary journal and a regular Meatless Friday chef for CatholicMom.com. She lives in Baton Rouge, LA with her husband and two young sons. Find out more at www.karenullo.com.
Marian Hymns from the Orthodox Tradition
Today, August 15, is the day when we Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when the Mother of God was assumed body and soul into heaven to become the queen of heaven and earth. Most of us will go to Mass today and sing “Hail, Holy Queen” and perhaps a setting of the Magnificat or Salve Regina. We have a rich tradition of music with which to honor our mother.
But our brothers and sisters in the Orthodox Christian churches also have a rich devotion to the Blessed Mother, complete with their own set of really beautiful hymns written in a different musical idiom than we usually hear in Catholic churches, and very well worth listening to. So, here to put you in mind of our mother on this blessed day is sampling of Marian hymns borrowed from our brothers and sisters of the Orthodox faith.
The Angel Cried, hymn for the Paschal season
O Virgin Pure, Byzantine chant
Suplicatory Canon to the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_6e9T1FpG8
Karen Ullo is the author of two novels, Jennifer the Damned and Cinder Allia. She is also the managing editor of Dappled Things literary journal and a regular Meatless Friday chef for CatholicMom.com. She lives in Baton Rouge, LA with her husband and two young sons. Find out more at www.karenullo.com.
The Literature You Save May Be Your Own
Have you ever wondered what happened to good books? The kind that told good stories without worrying about whether they were “speculative” or “literary” or “mass market trade”? The kind that fearlessly followed the characters into the depths of their genre-bending darkness and the heights of their non-ironic joys? You know… the kind that I write? 
Wiseblood Books wondered that, too. That’s why Dr. Joshua Hren founded the company: to help bring back the kind of literature that takes chances. Literature that brings us epiphanies of beauty. Literature like my debut novel, Jennifer the Damned.
Wiseblood is a non-profit company that exists only because of private, tax-deductible donations from readers like you. They are currently holding a fundraising campaign to help them grow their mission to “foster works of fiction and non-fiction, poetry and philosophy that find redemption in uncanny places and people; wrestle readers from the tyranny of boredom; articulate faith and doubt in their incarnate complexity; dare an unflinching gaze at human beings as “political animals”; and suffer through this world’s trials without forfeiting hope.”
If that sounds like a cause worth supporting, I hope you’ll take a moment to visit their fundraising page and make a donation, no matter how small. Generations of future readers will thank you.
Karen Ullo is the author of two novels, Jennifer the Damned and Cinder Allia. She is also the managing editor of Dappled Things literary journal and a regular Meatless Friday chef for CatholicMom.com. She lives in Baton Rouge, LA with her husband and two young sons. Find out more at www.karenullo.com.
The Marian Effect
As I wrote about recently, I had the honor to serve on a panel called “The Marian Effect: Building Strong Women in Writing and Life” at the Trying to say ‘God’ Conference at Notre Dame in June. We now a have Facebook page established by my fellow panelist, Angela Doll Carlson, to try to keep the conversation going. We’re still trying to figure out how best to use it. So far, we’ve been sharing lots of beautiful Marian art, music, and poetry, which should be a good enough reason to come join us. I hope to “see” you in our community!
Karen Ullo is the author of two novels, Jennifer the Damned and Cinder Allia. She is also the managing editor of Dappled Things literary journal and a regular Meatless Friday chef for CatholicMom.com. She lives in Baton Rouge, LA with her husband and two young sons. Find out more at www.karenullo.com.
Recent Comments