July 10, 2005 8:02 PM
Seen and heard in Denver
I'm in Denver, unpacked and settled into my very comfy room. A shuttle bus - well, actually they're huge well-upholstered tour buses - goes by every 15 minutes to take people from the hotel to the Denver Convention center. That's where the International Christian Retailers Association trade show will open tomorrow. It used to be called the Christian Booksellers Association, but this year the name was changed - which is actually fitting, since books are more and more crowded out of Christian bookstores by cards, gifts, jewelry, Bible covers, and general doodads. Much to the dismay of publishers and writers.
Here, all the mom and pop owners can survey he merchandise (and books) and place orders for whatever they think will sell. Tomorrow I will be signing free books - something publishers do to generate interest. I'm excited because I haven't yet seen or held my new book (Dirty Dancing at the Prom and Other Challenges Your Christian Teen Faces). I'm especially happy with the book because a third of it is quotes from teens themselves. I think it will be very helpful.
I went over this afternoon to register. On the way over, the bus had little TVs hanging from the ceiling with ads from companies exhibiting here. One was a sorta anime girl named Serenity, that they were plugging as the "first Christian manga"(for those of you without teens or other reasons to know what a manga is, it's a Japanese anime figure). I must admit, it was a little disconcerting.
A voice piped up a couple rows behind me - a young guy with a shaved head said, "I hope I never try to do something I don't understand. . . It's like trying to play jazz on an accordian." I stopped to ask him his name when he got off the bus - Josh Mosey, a 22 year old who's a music buyer for Baker. He continued: "It's an easy way to become a laughing stock - shooting for an audience you don't understand."
It's so true. Why is the Christian world so derivative? So often, it seems they glom onto something popular and try to "Christianize" it? It's so self-conscious and sometimes embarassing. By contrast, I think of C. S. Lewis, who said that with the Narnia series, he never set out to write a Christian allegory, but that first he saw a faun with an umbrella, and then the story just bubbled up - as well as the Christian theme.
There will be a "Behind the Scenes with Narnia" reception tonight at 10. I'm going to try to stay awake to go, although I'm two hours behind sleepwise.
Meanwhile, at the Denver convention center, there is a big blue bear that stares into the front window of the center:
After registering, I walked to a coffee shop and actually sat down and drank a triple latte - and even kept sitting after I was through! No hurries. This is a far different lifestyle, and it's hard for me to believe as I pass people just hanging out that some people know how to hang out. I think I'm just now ready to learn :)
I walked back to the hotel, stopping to take a few pictures. Here is a pair of lions to delight my daughter Maddy, who is very devoted to lions (when I get home, I will take a picture of her room to show you how much she loves them):
Also came across a little park called Writer Square (the picture will not upload, for some reason). In the midst of the brick and flowers, stands this bronze sculpture by Martha Pettigrew, "Gossip"
Notice the clothes basket! It's the laundry room motif! And there we are, over the backyard fence!
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Comments
Barbara,
Thank you for sharing those details, for those of us stuck in our laundry rooms. :-) Love those sculptures.
Posted by: Jschutt | July 11, 2005 8:23 AM
"It used to be called the Christian Booksellers Association, but this year the name was changed - which is actually fitting, since books are more and more crowded out of Christian bookstores by cards, gifts, jewelry, Bible covers, and general doodads."
Barbara, I hear ya ... my father works for the Lifeway on the Moody Bible Institute campus and although they probably have more books b/c they service the university, there are certainly a lot of 'general doodads.'
I was recently disappointed by a DVD he sent me. Note: He told me he had NOT seen them and I needed to make sure to 'preview' them before letting the kiddos watch. This DVD, sold by Lifeway, is called Angel Wars: Guardian Force. The premise, two of this japanimated 'angels' dressed in tight, form fitting (the girls' obviously defined breasts reminds me of the Laura Croft figurine) suits, Eli and Kira must stop the ruin of a mortal life. After watching this you would think that the angels did all the work and God sat in the background. Not only that but the nemesis is rather shapely with CLEAVAGE!! This is a CHRISTIAN video and a young boy could actually get excited by it. Uggh.
It is true that I like getting a Christian theme t-shirt and am glad that James Avery can support my rare silver purchase, but if my kids had access to nothing else 'Christian,' I'd want it to be a Bible and some additional personal growth or Christ-centered literature to sink their teeth into.
Enjoy yourself - sit longer each time you have a coffee and forget to be in a hurry, y'know, if you can. :)
Posted by: heather | July 11, 2005 9:00 AM
Sounds like a fun week ahead. Love the pics.
Spunky
Posted by: Spunky | July 11, 2005 10:52 AM
The Manga thing reminds me of a quote I recently found from Lee Warren of Right Minded.net:
“Too often Christians who are in business think that the way to influence culture is to look at what is popular, like designer coffee, then copy the product, and slap a fish symbol on the cup thereby ‘Christianizing it.’
“This isn’t influencing culture. It is copying it in the cheesiest way possible. Influencing culture is making a superior cup of coffee at a better price and making people wonder how and why.â€
Thanks for the pictures and for sharing your experiences.
Congratulations on your book.
Posted by: Lexie | July 11, 2005 11:28 AM
Barbara, it is so much fun seeing your pictures and hearing about Denver from your perspective as a visitor. I have seen those things too, of course. The big bear was just installed about two weeks ago. It was a huge news story.
If you need any restaurant recommendations or ideas for things to do, email me. It sounds like you will be kept busy, though. There was an article in the "Rocky Mountain News" today about the convention, actually.
It is too bad that Christians are looking to the secular world for ideas. There are so many creative and gifted Christians who are capable of blazing new trails in getting the Word out there.
Posted by: mopsy | July 11, 2005 11:56 AM
Do you feel like Bonnie Hunt in Cheaper by the Dozen...new version?
Posted by: Cindy | July 12, 2005 11:52 AM
It's so good to hear from y'all while I'm here. I enjoyed the comments picking up on the Christianized Secular theme. It is pretty crazy-making. I actually left the show a little depressed yesterday because it's overwhelming being surrounded by all this Christian materialism. Makes me wonder why I'm part of it.
And Cindy, I hadn't thought of that, but yes, it is a Cheaper By the Dozen situation. Except hopefully my hubby won't be handling it like Steve Martin :)
Actually, my daughter Jasmine and her hubby and four kids are still there too waiting for their house to close so they can move on to the next chapter of their great adventure.
Posted by: barbaracurtis | July 12, 2005 12:57 PM
Ohmygosh! I was astonished to see you and me talking over the laundry. I was going to ask you, does this dress make me look fat? Thanks for sharing the pics and writing... BTW, drink too many of those latte's and you'll get home before the plane taxi's down the runway.
Posted by: pamela | July 12, 2005 5:55 PM
"Why is the Christian world so derivative? So often, it seems they glom onto something popular and try to 'Christianize' it?"
Barbara, you've hit a hot button of mine.
I suspect the Christian world is so derivative because we Christians distrust the stuff that "bubbles up" inside us. Do we believe in the Holy Spirit or not? Or if we do, who's in charge of who?
How many of us Christians would dismiss out of hand a faun with an umbrella, if he wandered into our imaginations? What? A pagan myth? Could God use that?
Would we listen, or would we rebuke it, and go back to our Christian coffee beans?
Posted by: Katy | July 12, 2005 11:44 PM
