By Julia Kramer · Contributing Writer
It’s not every day that someone has the chance to sit around a table and enjoy a conversation with an award-winning novelist. However, that is exactly the opportunity had by students at Grove City College.
Heather Holleman, winner of Christianity Today’s 2024 Book Awards for her novel “This Seat’s Saved,” held a workshop on campus on Oct. 14 and spoke for Wednesday chapel on Oct. 15.
“As a fellow writing professor, I had heard for some time about her work,” Adam Loretto, associate professor of English, said. “We had the opportunity to meet in State College in the last year, and we connected immediately over our mutual profession and love for Grove City. The research she has done and the particular expertise she has as a writer and instructor are helpful only for how they help us see Jesus better.”
Noting this passion, Loretto and Chaplain Donald Opitz looked to bring Holleman to Grove City.
Advertised just days in advance, and with fall break approaching, attendance for her workshop was low, but it provided the students who came with a one-of-a-kind opportunity. Not pressed for time or forced to divide attention between many people, Holleman could answer individual questions and foster an intimate time of reading and discussion about her novel, the science of narrative formation and the logistics of publishing.
Holleman read from her book, bringing alive the story of Elita Brown, a seventh-grade girl whose misadventures begin when she could not sit at what she said was the “popular table.” However, as Holleman reached this scene, she set the book down with a laugh and asked the discussion circle for its thoughts.
This discussion moved from her novel to how the students could go about writing their own.
“Young adults, especially young girls, struggle violently with the need to look like the popular kids and have access to the ‘inner ring,’ and I think Holleman’s mission to capture this in story and provide an alternate hope is powerful,” sophomore Grace Cordle said.
For Holleman, providing this “alternate hope” is essential not just for evangelism purposes, but for assuring the quality of her book.
“You wanna know how to write a bestseller?” Holleman said during her conversation. “Just follow the hero’s journey.”
The hero’s journey is a template of the sequence of events found in almost every story. It takes an individual from the ordinary world and calls him to adventure. On the journey, he meets friends and mentors who help him undergo many trials. This culminates in the hero being faced with his deepest fears or greatest temptations, which he is ultimately victorious over.
“We are wired to want this story,” Holleman said.
Recounting later, Professor Joshua Mayo, chair of the Department of English, agreed, finding that even the process of writing fiction “done correctly” may be a spiritual discipline as well as a creative endeavor.
“Story writing demands the whole of our synthetic imagination,” Mayo said. “It asks us not only what we think, but also what we love.”
Whether attendees were aspiring novelists or contented readers, Holleman’s discussion provided the conceptual and practical tools needed to write a compelling novel and ultimately understand the gospel truths that make it so.
Holleman offers various other avenues to connect with students and those interested in Christian ministry. Those interested can find her recorded chapel lecture on “Seated with Christ” and “The Six Conversations Workshop” on my.gcc.edu or on her blog, “Live with Flair,” at heather-holleman.com.
