Martin in The Huffington Post

Rev. James Martin is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post, but this entry is an excerpt from his newest release, Between Heaven and Mirth.

"There is something irresistible about a person in a position of authority with a self-deprecatory sense of humor. It instantly binds you to the person. Perhaps because we see in him or her a reflection of what we could be, of what God wants us to be even in the midst of our accomplishments: simple, humble, aware of our own limitations and, of course, joyful."

The full excerpt is available here; scroll to the right to read TFD's interview with Rev. Martin.

New Books from Ron Hansen, Paul Lisicky, and Mary Biddinger

You'll want to check out these new releases from three authors profiled in The Fine Delight.

Ron Hansen's new collection of stories, She Loves Me Not, has just been released by Scribner. Sven Birkets praises the book in The New York Times.

Unbuilt Projects, Paul Lisicky's collection of short forms, is new from Four Way Books. The book was the October book club choice over at The Rumpus.

Mary Biddinger's new poetry collection, O Holy Insurgency, arrives on December 11 from Black Lawrence Press.

Back in Business

The Fine Delight is back. The print version, forthcoming in mid-2013, will investigate the richness-and paradox-of contemporary Catholic literature. Ron Hansen, Andre Dubus, Paul Mariani, Toni Morrison, Don DeLillo, Brian Doyle, Salvatore Scibona, Kaya Oakes, J.F. Powers, Paul Lisicky, Joe Bonomo, Mary Biddinger, Patrick Madden, Amanda Auchter, Jeffrey Eugenides, Alice McDermott, John Reimringer, Erin McGraw, Tom Bailey and Anthony Carelli, along with contextual analysis of William Gass, John Gardner, and Gerard Manley Hopkins, and some Teilhard de Chardin for good measure. Updates about the book, Catholic miscellania, and more will appear on this site.