Dostoevsky: Sober Hope: Finding Faith in the Bleak Midwinter

Seth Myers completed his MA in Cultural Apologetics from Houston Baptist University in 2017. As a power systems engineer, he has been involved with transformer diagnostics and rural electrification projects by partnering with NGOs in West Africa. A volunteer with international students through local churches, he enjoys conversations with friends from all cultures. He considers himself rich in friendships across time and space, including but not limited to C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Bede the Venerable, Augustine, Ravi Zacharias & friends, and many student friends (chess-playing when possible, but not required) typically from throughout Asia. He has recently begun taking online courses in Faulkner University’s Doctor of Humanities program.

Grant Walker Broadhurst holds a Masters in Apologetics, specializing in philosophy, from Houston Christian University where he received the C.S. Lewis Award for Apologetics. He writes fiction, poetry, and philosophy, and he believes philosophical apologetics can be beautiful. You can find him at MindBehindTheUniverse.com.

William Collen is an independent art researcher, aesthetician, and musician living and working with his family in Omaha, Nebraska.

Mary Lou Cornish is a Canadian journalist and teacher of journalism at the college level. She has edited and written for a wide variety of publications and worked in corporate communications. She has five university degrees: Hon. B.A. in History and French Language and Literature; Hon. B.A. in Film Studies; Masters in Journalism; Masters in Theological Studies; Masters in Cultural Apologetics (earned recently from the Houston Christian University). She enjoys writing fiction, poetry and drama as well as non-fiction essays and articles. In fact, she just loves to write!

Awara, a daughter of the King, has been a college professor, church planter’s wife, and homeschooling mom. She is enjoying a new season of being Nana to eight grandchildren! Awara lives in Georgia with her husband of 34 years and their rescue dog, Gonzo. You can read more of her writing at kosmeomag.com, callapress.com, thewaybacktoourselves.com, winter-pages.com and valiantscribe.com.

John Givens is Professor of Russian at the University of Rochester. His interest in Christianity coincides with his studies of and research in Russian literature, cinema and culture. He has published The Image of Christ in Russian Literature: Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Bulgakov, Pasternak (Northern Illinois UP, 2018) and is currently working on a book tentatively titled The Anxiety of Belief in Russian Cinema

Sojourna Howfree is a pen name for Sonja Howard, an Australian biographer, poet, essayist, and English Literature teacher. Residing in the beautiful Sunshine Coast of Australia with her husband of 24 years. Sonja is a mother of 4. “I am dust that has been drawn into the breath of God, only to be exhaled as something of worth, because in that moment of being drawn into him, there was the great transformation.” Sonja

Matthew Lilley has worked in church and campus ministries, and currently is a full-time career for his 95-year-old grandmother. Matthew's masters degree in theology was earned at the Union School of Theology (ust.ac.uk), with his dissertation focusing on natural theology. He is married to Laura, and together they are walking the entire British coastline.

Christy Luis works as a Library Technician. She reviews books and vlogs on her YouTube channel, Christy Luis - Dostoevsky in Space. She has an Associate of Arts in Humanities and graduated cum laude from Regent University with a Bachelor of Arts in English.

Brian Melton is a college professor, classical educator, and lover of all things Lewis, Tolkien, and Chesterton.

Patricia Newbery is a retired paralegal and English college instructor. She lives with her husband of 21 years in Slidell, Louisiana with their two parrots and cat. Her poems have been published in Gaudium Magazine.

Josiah Peterson teaches Humane Letters and at Chandler Preparatory Academy and lives with his wife and three kids in Mesa, Arizona. He studied Cultural Apologetics at Houston Christian University and wrote his thesis on the rhetoric of C.S. Lewis under the advisement of Holly Ordway and Michael Ward.

Theresa Pihl is a wife, mother and teacher living in rural Oregon. A member of the Word on Fire Institute, her writing has appeared in An Unexpected Journal, Gaudium Magazine and Evangelization & Culture. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of St. Thomas, Houston.

George Scondras is an artist with many attempts and maybe a few successes, a plight that is a lot like the Christian journey. He looks forward to an eternity of joy in the luminous presence of his Creator. For now, he lives in the hills of north Georgia with his wife and children. He is currently working on a PhD in Christianity and the Arts from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Thomas Sims holds a B.S. in Biology from the Templeton Honors College at Eastern University. He currently teaches sixth grade science and eleventh grade philosophy/literature in Chandler, Arizona. His work has been featured in “Beyond Words.”

Katie Windham oversees student development initiatives in her role as the Director of Brooks Residential College at Baylor University. She has a passion for Christian Higher Education, and the integration of faith and education is one of her primary interests for reading, writing, and collaboration.

Clark Weidner earned a Masters degree in Cultural Apologetics from Houston Baptist University and has published several analytic essays as well as short form fiction. He holds a blue belt in jiu jitsu and plenty of scars from years of skateboarding. He met his wife Amber in a Lord of the Rings book club and now they have a dog named Thanos (due to their love of comics).

Joshua Yen is an Undergraduate at The University of Oxford reading Philosophy and Theology. He is a published author of two books: Christianity for All and The UCAS Bible, and regularly uploads videos on his YouTube and Podcast (Philosophy for All). He has a mission for spreading and making education accessible to all both through his channels and his university admission consultancy, Logos Education. His works can be found on his website www.josh-yen.com and can be contacted at: [email protected].