FāVS News News and Commentary about Religion and Ethics in Eastern Washington and North Idaho
Whitworth University’s English Department will host Pádraig Ó Tuama as one of its endowed readers for the year at 7 p.m. on Nov. 18 in the Hixson Union Building’s Multipurpose Room. Ó Tuama is a Belfast-based Irish poet, speaker and conflict mediator. He is the author of the recent poetry collection “Readings from the Book of Exile” and an album of Christian lament called “Hymns to Swear By.”
A devout Catholic who is openly gay, Ó Tuama writes about LGBT issues and Christianity for a blog called Faith and Pride. On Monday, he will be reading some of his poetry. The event is free and open to the public. Below is a video of Ó Tuama reading his poem, “L is for Lonely.”
Josie Camarillo is a recent graduate of Whitworth University, where she majored in English and psychology. Currently pursuing her Master in Social Work at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, Camarillo writes for SpokaneFAVS from afar, but plans to return to the Spokane area after attaining her licensure as an independent social worker. She dreams of becoming a relationship therapist and a published author. Her hobbies include photography, horseback riding and writing poetry.
Camarillo has a passion for photography and writing, especially poetry, and is interested in creative counseling methods like narrative therapy and using horses in therapy. Someday, she would like to be a counselor and a published poet. Her favorite poems are “The Singing Woman from the Wood’s Edge” by Edna St. Vincent Millay and “The Art of Drowning” by Billy Collins.
During fall 2013, Camarillo worked for Spokane Faith & Values as a copy editing intern, where her specialities included deleting Oxford commas and adding hyperlinks. Since then, she has transitioned into becoming a regular contributor to the site as a writer and photographer.
