{"id":5937,"date":"2016-09-07T10:30:33","date_gmt":"2016-09-07T18:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/?p=5937"},"modified":"2017-11-06T16:30:21","modified_gmt":"2017-11-07T00:30:21","slug":"interview-crystal-hurd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/","title":{"rendered":"An Interview with Crystal Hurd"},"content":{"rendered":"

Steve Elmore:<\/em><\/strong> Today I’m going to interview Dr. Crystal Hurd, an alumnus of three of our Foundation C.S. Lewis Retreats.<\/p>\n

SE<\/em><\/strong>:\u00a0Tell us about what you do, both in terms of work and personal pursuits.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Crystal Hurd:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0I am currently employed as a high school English and Creative Writing teacher, but my indulgence is Lewis scholarship. I’m the author of\u00a0Thirty Days with C.S Lewis: A Women’s Devotional<\/em>. I maintain a blog at crystalhurd.com<\/a> where I explore and discuss various aspects of Lewis’s works.<\/p>\n

Most recently, I transcribed an unpublished Lewis manuscript titled\u00a0Pudaita Pie: An Anthology\u00a0<\/em>for inclusion in volume 32 of\u00a0VII:Journal of the Marion E. Wade Center<\/em>. Additionally, I contributed a chapter on Flora Lewis for the book\u00a0Women and C.S. Lewis: What his life and literature reveal for today’s culture<\/em>.\u00a0I currently serve as Review Editor for\u00a0Sehnsucht: The C.S. Lewis Journal<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Aside from this, I’m also a graduate student in Poetry at the University of Texas, El Paso (MFA Program).<\/p>\n

SE:<\/em><\/strong> What was your first experience with one of the Foundation\u2019s programs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

CH:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0In 2012, I was invited by Nan Rinella to read an elegiac poem dedicated to my grandfather at the Bag End Caf\u00e9 during your Fall Retreat. Using this as an \u201cexcuse\u201d to attend (that\u2019s what I told my boss), I was ecstatic to finally<\/em> attend a Foundation event. While there, I also attended a Sprinklings writers group meeting and listened to many wonderful lectures by astute and informed speakers.<\/p>\n

In between the lectures, I met and befriended a wide host of kindred spirits, people with whom I still have a close relationship. Andrew Lazo told me, \u201cWelcome home\u201d as I chatted into the morning hours with him and Rebecca Choat. I was among a special group of friends, threads of a larger tapestry composing my artistic and spiritual life. I felt that I had \u201cfound my place.\u201d Earlier that year, I had experienced some personal trauma and I was still bruised when I boarded the plane for Navasota, but that hurt fell away immediately when I entered the conference.<\/p>\n

The experience renewed my self-esteem, reinvigorated my passion for my faith, made me fall in love again with Lewis\u2019s works, and introduced me to a wonderful group of friends. I redefined myself in a new and splendid light, washed by God\u2019s promises, Lewis\u2019s words, and the companionship of my new \u201cfamily.\u201d When I say that the Lewis Foundation changed my life, I mean it in every sense of the word.<\/p>\n

SE:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 On that note, tell us a bit more about how the C.S. Lewis Foundation made an impact on your life and work.<\/strong><\/p>\n

CH:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0The Lewis Foundation has made an enormous impact on my life in many ways. The Foundation has helped me develop my faith, has encouraged me to appreciate deeper aspects of C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, and the Inklings, and has widened my group of friends (an accomplishment for a confirmed introvert!).<\/p>\n

I found new friends who share my literary interests and sharpen my interpretations of text. The Foundation also introduced me to so many wonderful people, many who now provide me with feedback on my own creative work. Spiritually and artistically, The C.S. Lewis Foundation has made a lasting impression on my life and work.<\/p>\n

SE:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>How would you characterize the C.S. Lewis Foundation\/its programs? What makes the Foundation different? Unique?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CH:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 The Foundation provides people of many faiths to gather, learn, and discuss on common ground. What I noticed during my first Foundation conference was a multitude of people from various denominations eating and chatting respectfully together, with no contention or antagonism.<\/p>\n

I remember thinking, \u201cAll of these individuals of different walks of faith are together and there\u2019s not a single sour argument, just a climate of mutual appreciation and respect.\u201d I called it a \u201cthin place\u201d because I imagine that Heaven is a harmonious blend of\u00a0 denominations.<\/p>\n

I especially adore the Foundation\u2019s focus on literary appreciation and literary development. Not only are participants encouraged to read and contemplate Lewis and other literary giants, we are encouraged to attend a Sprinklings meeting and share work or hear others share at Bag Eng Caf\u00e9. It is a wonderful place of artistic nourishment.<\/p>\n

SE:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0The C.S. Lewis Foundation\u2019s mission is \u201cInspired by the life and legacy of C.S. Lewis, the C.S. Lewis Foundation equips and encourages Christians to live their faith within the world of ideas and the arts.\u201d How have you been served by that mission?<\/strong><\/p>\n

CH:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0The C.S. Lewis Foundation has given me hope that faith, intellect, and imagination can meet and marry successfully. Growing up, I was convinced that Christians had to relinquish their intellectual life to prove their allegiance to the faith. As an adolescent, I was asking the \u201chard questions\u201d to refine and develop my faith, but many urged me to stop because I was strolling into dangerous philosophical territory. I wanted an environment that welcomed my inquiries.<\/p>\n

When I first read Lewis, I was astounded. He granted me permission to ask the hard questions and pursue the answers without being judged. I wasn\u2019t being difficult or antagonistic; I was genuinely curious about the ambiguities of my faith. Lewis satisfied that curiosity, and he did it without condescending on his readers. He was a breath of fresh air to my flailing faith, and the Foundation has shown me that there are members of our population who possess the same hope.<\/p>\n

Every time I return to an event, I am refreshed and renewed. The Foundation is a blessing for the Christian artist\/scholar.<\/p>\n

SE<\/strong>:<\/em> Crystal, thank you so much for telling us about your experience with our programs!<\/strong><\/p>\n

CH:<\/em><\/strong> Many blessings to you and your wonderful staff! You all remain in my prayers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Steve Elmore: Today I’m going to interview Dr. Crystal Hurd, an alumnus of three of our Foundation C.S. Lewis Retreats. SE:\u00a0Tell us about what you do, both in terms of work and personal pursuits. Crystal Hurd:\u00a0I am currently employed as a high school English and Creative Writing teacher, but my indulgence is Lewis scholarship. I’m […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[231,657,210,525],"tags":[557],"class_list":["post-5937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-foundation-news","category-interviews","category-regional-retreats","category-the-c-s-lewis-retreat","tag-crystal-hurd"],"yoast_head":"\nAn Interview with Crystal Hurd - Living the Legacy of C.S. Lewis<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"An Interview with Crystal Hurd - Living the Legacy of C.S. Lewis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Steve Elmore: Today I’m going to interview Dr. Crystal Hurd, an alumnus of three of our Foundation C.S. Lewis Retreats. SE:\u00a0Tell us about what you do, both in terms of work and personal pursuits. Crystal Hurd:\u00a0I am currently employed as a high school English and Creative Writing teacher, but my indulgence is Lewis scholarship. I’m […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Living the Legacy of C.S. Lewis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-09-07T18:30:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-11-07T00:30:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Crystal-Hurd.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"175\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"258\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cslewisfoundation\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cslewisfoundation\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/\",\"name\":\"An Interview with Crystal Hurd - Living the Legacy of C.S. Lewis\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Crystal-Hurd.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-09-07T18:30:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-11-07T00:30:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/19b2ac4d38a13020b05fc09d9d306e99\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Crystal-Hurd.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Crystal-Hurd.jpg\",\"width\":175,\"height\":258,\"caption\":\"Photo of Crystal Hurd. Copyright Lancia E. Smith Photography\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"An Interview with Crystal Hurd\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Living the Legacy of C.S. Lewis\",\"description\":\"A Blog of the C.S. Lewis Foundation\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/19b2ac4d38a13020b05fc09d9d306e99\",\"name\":\"cslewisfoundation\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/author\/cslewisfoundation\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"An Interview with Crystal Hurd - Living the Legacy of C.S. Lewis","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"An Interview with Crystal Hurd - Living the Legacy of C.S. Lewis","og_description":"Steve Elmore: Today I’m going to interview Dr. Crystal Hurd, an alumnus of three of our Foundation C.S. Lewis Retreats. SE:\u00a0Tell us about what you do, both in terms of work and personal pursuits. Crystal Hurd:\u00a0I am currently employed as a high school English and Creative Writing teacher, but my indulgence is Lewis scholarship. I’m […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/","og_site_name":"Living the Legacy of C.S. Lewis","article_published_time":"2016-09-07T18:30:33+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-11-07T00:30:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":175,"height":258,"url":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Crystal-Hurd.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cslewisfoundation","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cslewisfoundation","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/","url":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/","name":"An Interview with Crystal Hurd - Living the Legacy of C.S. Lewis","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Crystal-Hurd.jpg","datePublished":"2016-09-07T18:30:33+00:00","dateModified":"2017-11-07T00:30:21+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/19b2ac4d38a13020b05fc09d9d306e99"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Crystal-Hurd.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Crystal-Hurd.jpg","width":175,"height":258,"caption":"Photo of Crystal Hurd. Copyright Lancia E. Smith Photography"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/interview-crystal-hurd\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"An Interview with Crystal Hurd"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/","name":"Living the Legacy of C.S. Lewis","description":"A Blog of the C.S. Lewis Foundation","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/19b2ac4d38a13020b05fc09d9d306e99","name":"cslewisfoundation","url":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/author\/cslewisfoundation\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Crystal-Hurd.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5937"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5964,"href":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5937\/revisions\/5964"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cslewis.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}