Leslie Leyland Fields: A Radiant Birth

The Women Scholars and Professionals Podcast

“Do what you and your family need. Let go of the cultural and even the church expectations. Just take time to behold — to behold the wondrous mystery of Christ among us and Christ in us and Christ born for us.” — Leslie Leyland Fields

Author and writing teacher Leslie Leyland Fields joins us on the podcast to discuss the beautiful messiness of Advent and the joys of writing one’s own story.

As we look toward the start of Advent on December 1, some of us might be frantically crafting our to-do lists and dreading a busy month of deadlines. But what if it could be different? Author and writing teacher Leslie Leyland Fields joins us on the podcast to discuss the Advent book she recently edited entitled A Radiant Birth: Advent Readings for a Bright Season. Leslie talks with us about her own complicated history with Advent and Christmas, then offers actionable suggestions for making choices that can shape a more manageable holiday season. We discuss her work as a writing teacher, and Leslie makes a convincing case for the importance of writing one’s story. In addition — I’m pleased to tell you that InterVarsity Press is offering a discount on A Radiant Birth for listeners of this podcast. Just use the code IVPWSAP25 for 25% off and free shipping when you purchase the book at ivpress.com. You can find a link to the book and the discount code in the show notes. And if you listen to the end of the credits, you’ll hear an excerpt from our conversation where Leslie shares her experience of juggling a teaching career while raising four small children.

So jump right in! We're so glad you're here.

Programming Note: We’ll be taking Leslie's advice to rest and reconnect in December — which means our airwaves will also be on winter break here at The Women Scholars and Professionals Podcast. We encourage you to catch up on back episodes, get some rest yourself, and watch for our next season to begin in January 2025!

— Ann Boyd

For show notes or more information please visit our article at The Well.

If you'd like to support the work of InterVarsity's Women Scholars and Professionals, including future podcasts such as this episode, you can do so at givetoiv.org/wsap. Thank you for listening!