Faculty & Speakers

Cynthia Beach is a longtime creative writing professor, writer, and coach who studied creativity under Dr. Eric Maisel and trained in spiritual direction. She authored Creative Juices for Writers and the novel The Surface of Water (Soul Seasons, 2020; IVP, 2024). Her articles, short stories, and contributions appear in newspapers, literary journals, and books like Hope in the Mourning Bible (Zondervan), Media Ethics (Longman) and Writer's Digest. A frequent reviewer for The Banner, Cynthia has a journalism masters from Wheaton College and a masters of fine arts from the Northwest Institute of the Literary Arts. She cofounded Breathe Christian Writers Conference (2006-2021) and Scriptoria Workshop. She also was a fiction judge for Christianity Today. Currently, she serves as Artist in Residence at Gilfillan Memorial Church in Dundee, Scotland. For more information, visit www.cynthiabeach.com.

Sharon Garlough Brown is a retreat leader, spiritual director, and author of the bestselling Sensible Shoes series and Shades of Light series. A graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, Sharon has served on the pastoral staff of congregations in England, Oklahoma, and West Michigan and now lives in Dundee, Scotland, with her husband, Jack. Her spiritual formation novels and study guides explore ways to practice receiving, resting in, and responding to the immeasurable love and grace of God. Her children’s picture book, Not Finished Yet, models lament as a spiritual practice for children and the grown-ups who love them. For more information about Sharon, visit her website: www.sharongarloughbrown.com.

Hugh Cook is emeritus professor of English at Redeemer University and earned an MFA from the Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa. His poetry has been published in Canadian literary journals such as Quarry, Canadian Poetry, The Canadian Forum, Folio, and The University of Windsor Review. His stories have appeared in literary journals such as The Malahat Review, NeWest ReView, Wascana Review, Descant, Fiddlehead, and The Antigonish Review. His long works include the award-winning Heron River, The Homecoming Man, and Cracked Wheat. Hugh received the Leslie K. Tarr Award for outstanding contribution to Christian writing. 

Linda Nemec Foster has published fourteen collections of poetry including Amber Necklace from Gdansk, Talking Diamonds, The Blue Divide, and The Lake Michigan Mermaid (2019 Michigan Notable Book). Her most recent book, The Lake Huron Mermaid, was published in 2024. Foster's work appears in magazines and journals such as The Georgia Review, Nimrod, New American Writing, North American Review, Poetry Daily, the Best Small Fictions Anthology, and the Best Spiritual Literature. She has received nominations for the Pushcart Prize and awards from the Arts Foundation of Michigan, National Writer’s Voice, Dyer-Ives Foundation, The Poetry Center (NJ), Fish Anthology (Ireland), and Academy of American Poets. A collection of prose poems, Bone Country, was honored as a Distinguished Favorite in the NYC's Big Book Award for Poetry in 2024. Two of her recent books, The Blue Divide and Bone Country, were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. The first Poet Laureate of Grand Rapids, Michigan (2003-2005), Foster is the founder of the Contemporary Writers Series at Aquinas College. See www.lindanemecfoster.com.

Gary D. Schmidt teaches creative writing, children's literature, and medieval literature at Calvin University. He is the author of some two dozen books for young readers, among them the Newbery-Honor-winning The Wednesday Wars, the Newbery Honor and Printz Honor-winning Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, and the National Book Award finalist Okay for Now.  A complete list of Gary's books can be found here. His university press books include a study of the early American writer Hannah Adams, the image of the mouth of hell in medieval art and literature, and the beginnings of American children's books in the 1930s.  He lives in Alto, Michigan. 

Vinita Hampton Wright has a thirty-year career as a book editor and author. She has presented retreats on creativity, writing, Ignatian spirituality, and prayer. An author of three novels and numerous nonfiction, she serves as a freelance editor and a spiritual director. Her work includes The Soul Tells a Story (InterVarsity Press) and The Art of Spiritual Writing (Loyola Press). Her latest book is Set the World on Fire: a 4-Week Personal Retreat with the Female Doctors of the Church (Ave Maria, 2022).