Dad-lit: Views and Interviews

Over the past 16 months since launching this website, Janie and I have the opportunity to interview a number of authors and cultural critics who also happen to be dads.  And as we eagerly await Andrew Klavan’s interview this Friday, June 15th, we thought we’d make a list of a few of our favorites:

• Douglas Bond on Fatherhood: Mr. Bond has a father’s heart, and one of the reasons I love hearing him speak is because he always seems to tie the topic back into the gospel and our Heavenly Father and His Son.   Powerful speaker and writer, and honestly, a wordsmith I look up to as a father-figure myself.

• Jonathan Rogers, On Fatherhood and The Charlatan’s Boy: Jonathan is an exceptionally talented writer, a Vandy Ph.d in English Lit, and a devoted father and Christian.  For thoughtful Christian book-lovers, it doesn’t get any better than his book, The Charlatan’s Boy.

• David Harrison, RR Poet Laureate: Christopher Award winning kids’ poet and author extraordinaire.  See Janie’s reviews of his books in Cowboys and Other Guy Stuff.

• Art Ayris, Kingstone Comics: Graphic novels aren’t for everyone, but family man Art Ayris is taking the genre to new levels.  Don’t miss this scoop by our intrepid intern, Jack Mertens!

• Kevin Luthardt, Larabee’s Dad:  Ok, this fantastically talented illustrator-dad does have human children, too.  But I haven’t met them yet, whereas I have met his lovely pup, hero of the book by the same name, Larabee.  Such a sweet book!  (As I recall, it was the favorite of our assistant art director at Peachtree, too, who has worked on many hundreds of kids’ books in her time.)

• Roger Lowther on Japanese Literature: Roger, a Julliard trained organist, is possibly the most talented musician I know.  He’s also a very thoughtful missionary to Japan with his wife Abi and their three children, and he was kind enough to talk me through some of the most important Japanese literature.  One of my all-time favorite interviews.

• Why Would a Pepperdine University Professor fight to keep ereaders out of his child’s school?  Dr. Mike Sugimoto answers that question by addressing the downsides to Ereaders and Ebooks.

Hope all you will check back on Friday for Andrew Klavan’s interview, and we wish everybody a happy Father’s Day!