Believe to See

The podcast of the Anselm Society's Arts Guild. Join host Matt Mellema and a rotation of guests at the digital pub table for conversations about faith and storytelling. “Some things have to be believed to be seen." -Madeleine L'Engle

It's Never Too Late for Beach Reads 09/16/2025

It's Never Too Late for Beach Reads Summer may be over, but Beach Reads are always relevant. We all have a favorite Beach Read: a story that is fun and immersive, but not necessarily deep or literary. But how do we feel about Beach Reads as a concept? After all, Believe to See’s goal is to help connect the Great Story, the great stories, and our own stories. How do Beach Reads fit into these great stories? Do they fit at all? Is it possible to be the sort of person who cares deeply about the great stories, and who also enjoys a fun beach read? /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/38240020

Carving Light From Darkness 09/09/2025

Carving Light From Darkness Kreg Yingst is a printmaker, painter, and writer whose work can be found in both private and corporate collections--or in one of his several books. His medium of choice is printmaking, using an antique Showcard proof press to print his hand-carved wood blocks or linoleum sheets onto paper or wood. Join Mandy and guest co-host Isaac Hans as they talk with Kreg about his art, his books, and how the very act of making art can be a prayer. (Find him on Instagram where he posts his original art as psalmprayers.) /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/38145615

Superheroes and the Science of the Imagination 09/02/2025

Superheroes and the Science of the Imagination Meredith Davis is the author of the Amazing Adventures of Noah Minor series. These middle grade superhero stories draw inspiration from classic comic books and the science of imagination. Davis joins the pub table to discuss how her stories use superheroes to explore themes of friendship, integrity, and self-control. /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/37971305

Navigating the Nonfiction Market 08/15/2025

Navigating the Nonfiction Market Will Parker Anderson is a senior editor at Waterbrook and Multnomah (an imprint of Penguin Random House). He’s also an important resource as a writing coach and book industry expert. Will discusses how to navigate the often fraught waters of the Christian nonfiction market, and how we can all help support work that is excellent and edifying. /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/37842800

Sharing Is Caring 08/08/2025

Sharing Is Caring Join the hosts at the roundtable as they talk about their favorite obsessions: the art and artists they love so much, they want the world to love them too. Mandy asks Matt and Christina to discuss where this impulse comes from—this desire for others to love what we love—and why it hurts when our enthusiasm is met with a shrug or a shake of the head. What does this impulse say about the impact of art on our hearts? How can shared (or not shared) affinities shape community? /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/37740780

Should Novels Have Architecture? 07/25/2025

Should Novels Have Architecture? Whether you’re a new novelist, an experienced novelist, or not a novelist at all, there’s something to learn from the intricacies of story structure. Author Elisa Lambert joins the table to discuss. She’s one of the Anselm Society Arts’ Guild’s member artists. She’s also writing a novel using something called the Book Architecture method. /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/37551030

How to Make a Video Game 07/19/2025

How to Make a Video Game We recently talked with SD Smith about the heart and motivation behind the upcoming Green Ember video game. But how do you make a video game in the first place? Bryan Engram is here to help. He's the co-founder of Brazen Animation: the studio that's creating the Green Ember video game. He explains the building blocks of effective gameplay and how to use those blocks to create a compelling story. /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/37463985

Battle of the Books 07/11/2025

Battle of the Books Join us as Matt and Mandy battle it out to determine which book is better -- The Great Gatsby, or To Kill a Mockingbird. It's a doozy, folks. Come cast your vote! /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/37381600

Sirens Everywhere! Not the Singing Kind 07/01/2025

Sirens Everywhere! Not the Singing Kind We know there's "nothing new under the sun," but must there be so many TV shows with a first responder, life-or-death, emergency services premise? Join Mandy, Matt, and Christina as they discuss the plethora of shows like these. Why are writers and viewers drawn to these stories--and what differentiates those worth saving from those that ought to be DOA? /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/37248970

Stories Tell the Truth 06/20/2025

Stories Tell the Truth Author Jennifer Layte is a firm believer in the power of story to draw us closer to Jesus and closer to an understanding of who we are. Join Mandy and Jenn at the pub table as they discuss story, nicknames, and Jenn's latest book, Follower: How Getting Close to Jesus Brings You to Yourself -- a narrative study of Simon Peter's journey with Jesus. /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/37093490

When Art Gets the Blues 06/13/2025

When Art Gets the Blues Good art moves us and makes us (or helps us) feel things. Mandy asks her cohosts to consider: why do some of us gravitate toward sad art when we're already sad? What is the purpose and value of art that's a little bit (or very much) heartbreaking? /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/37003490

Man Behind The Mythmakers 05/30/2025

Man Behind The Mythmakers John Hendrix creates graphic novels that beautifully blend prose and illustrations to tell complex stories. His latest work, The Mythmakers, delves into a subject near and dear to the heart of the Anselm Society: the friendship of CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien. Hendrix joins the table to discuss how he conveyed the lives and impact of these two authors in his own unique style. John Hendrix’s website: Buy The Mythmakers: /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/36791755

The Enduring Appeal of YA 05/23/2025

The Enduring Appeal of YA Sarah Hendricks is the author of a new YA fantasy novel called Ella. A few years ago, Matthew accidentally became something of a YA fantasy expert (long story). Now, he’s checking in on the state of the genre. What’s encompassed by the term “YA Fantasy”? What are its different niches and sub-genres? And why does it have such enduring popularity with so many readers? Sarah Hendricks has the answers. Buy Ella: /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/36695875

The Green Ember Video Game 05/09/2025

The Green Ember Video Game SD Smith has recently announced a Green Ember video game. He joins the digital pub table to discuss this exciting new project. So strap in for a deep dive into the Green Ember video game: its origin, its design, and how families can play video games in an enriching way. /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/36514700

Where Folk Meets Jazz 05/04/2025

Where Folk Meets Jazz Jacob Herold is a multi-instrumental musician whose music interweaves folk and jazz. He also happens to be a member artist of the Anselm Society Arts Guild. He joins the table to discuss his new album, The Train & The River. What’s it like to fuse two styles like jazz and folk? Why should we worry about fusing different styles in the first place? And how did Jacob find the time to learn to play all of those instruments? Buy The Train & The River: /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/36422890

Road Trip! Interview With Isaac Hans 04/25/2025

Road Trip! Interview With Isaac Hans Isaac Hans joins Mandy and Christina at the pub table to talk about his journey with photography--literally. What is "road trip photography," and what drew Isaac to it in the first place? How does his faith inform his work? Who are some of his biggest influences? He also sheds light on some of the equipment and techniques that photographers use, and why. /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/36318950

Back to Carrick Hall--Sarah Arthur 04/18/2025

Back to Carrick Hall--Sarah Arthur Author Sarah Arthur has previously joined the digital pub table to talk about her YA fantasy novel Once a Queen. But it turns out this was only the first book in her Carrick Hall series. She returns to the pub table to discuss the brand new second book: Once a Castle. Matt and Mandy ask Sarah about her process for creating a second book in a series, and where she plans to take Carrick Hall from here. Buy Once a Castle: Believe to See audience survey: /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/36227055

Who's the Anselm-iest Artist? Finale 04/12/2025

Who's the Anselm-iest Artist? Finale It all comes down to this. In the final installment of our three-part series, Matt, Mandy, and Christina determine once and for all which artist is most representative of the Anselm Society artists' guild. Did you call it, or will you be surprised? /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/36111365

Who's the Anselm-iest Artist? Part Two 03/28/2025

Who's the Anselm-iest Artist? Part Two Matt continues forcing Mandy and Christina, championship bracket-style, to decide which famous artists most represent the values of the artists' guild. Part 2 of a three-part series. /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/35915020

Who's the Anselm-iest Artist? 03/15/2025

Who's the Anselm-iest Artist? In Part 1 of a three-part series, Matt forces Mandy and Christina, championship bracket-style, to decide which famous artists most represent the values of the artists' guild. They also coin a new word: "Anselm-y." /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/35704690

How to Destroy a Child's Imagination 03/08/2025

How to Destroy a Child's Imagination Fostering a healthy imagination in kids is a worthy goal--but what are the obstacles in today's society actively making that difficult, and what do we do about them? In this episode, we discuss several arguments in Anthony Esolen's satirical book "10 Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child" and ask the question, "How can we give kids a world where creatively engaging their environment is the norm--not the exception?" /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/35584995

Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue, Is It a Good Love Story? 02/28/2025

Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue, Is It a Good Love Story? It's Valentine's Day, so of course we want to talk about the best and worst love stories of all time! Join the hosts as we delve into what qualities make for a good love story annnnnd what qualities produce a bad one. Pulling from sources such as Shakespeare's famous sonnets and modern cinematic rom-coms, we explore it all. And there might be something about a little Scarlet Pimpernel flower mentioned . . . Listen to find out! (Due to technical difficulties, this episode slated for Valentine's Day is appearing after the fact. Our apologies for the diminished sound quality.) /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/35488480

Effective Christian Characters 02/15/2025

Effective Christian Characters Where Are the “Good Christian” Characters? Too often, the broader culture portrays Christians as narrow-minded hypocrites. We can all imagine plenty of explanations for this. But that leads to a more fundamental question. Why is it so hard to create a character who is both: (1) well-developed and compelling, and (2) a sincere Christian? On this roundtable, the hosts discuss why it’s so difficult to create a “Good Christian” character. They also offer their candidates for best Christian characters in fiction. And in case you’re wondering—yes, Matt dresses up as his favorite Christian character from pop culture. So stay tuned for the big reveal, neighborinos! /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/35291805

"Insert Perfect Title Here" 02/01/2025

"Insert Perfect Title Here" From paintings to novels, titles can guide expectations of viewers and readers, for good or for ill. And for some artists, coming up with a title can be as challenging as making the art itself. Join the hosts at the roundtable as they talk about titles — and “untitles” and subtitles and more — and see how you handle Mandy’s genre quiz! /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/35105575

Art that’s Cool to Hate 01/18/2025

Art that’s Cool to Hate Ever feel like there was a band, tv show, or book that you were “supposed” to hate? Like hating it was required to prove you’re cool and sophisticated? When Matt was in college, that band was Nickelback. And he’s wondered why ever since… Why do we do things like this? Is this a good impulse, or something we should fight against? On this roundtable, the hosts explore the art that’s cool to hate. /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/34901755

Can Kids’ Cartoons be Great Cinema? 01/04/2025

Can Kids’ Cartoons be Great Cinema? It never fails. Whenever someone on the internet complains that an animated film is bad, someone else on the internet replies: “It’s a kids’ cartoon. Who cares?” On this roundtable, the hosts discuss whether we should expect children’s animation to be serious art. They do this primarily by analyzing some of their favorite animated films. /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/34717190

Solitude and Community 12/20/2024

Solitude and Community Artists need solitude to create (or “conjure”), but we need one another too. Mandy and Matt and Christina discuss finding a balance between these seemingly contradictory needs. /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/34558045

SD Smith and the Found Boys 12/07/2024

SD Smith and the Found Boys Author SD Smith has previously joined the Anselm pub table to talk about his classic Green Ember series (an Anselm Society staple), and the Jack Zulu series that he’s writing along with his son. Now, SD Smith returns to the table to discuss his new book, The Found Boys. It’s a middle grade story that touches on a lot of complex issues—racial tension, forgiveness, reconciliation, and more. It’s also a fun and funny adventure. Join us as SD Smith shares the heart and purpose behind The Found Boys. /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/34329155

The Hosts Debrief: Naming - We Just Can't Escape It! 11/23/2024

The Hosts Debrief: Naming - We Just Can't Escape It! Matt, Mandy, and Christina gather together to debrief about our . There may be more than a little talk about best and worst fantasy football names and houseplants christened after famous authors, but what can we say? Names matter. And when you sit down to talk about it? You may be startled to discover how much the power of names - ( and the human instinct to name everything from our cars to our kids) - is inextricably linked to the identity God gave you. /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/34115886

Sense of Wonder: Delighting in God’s Presence Throughout the Holiday Season 11/10/2024

Sense of Wonder: Delighting in God’s Presence Throughout the Holiday Season Another holiday season is upon us, bringing with it the potential for wonder—or for stress, consumerism, and detachment. Amanda Luedeke and Hannah Oplinger have created a new devotional that walks us from Thanksgiving through the new year, engaging all six of our senses (yes! There are six!). Join Mandy as she talks with Amanda about how we might “reclaim the holidays for [our] heart’s formation and the glory of God”. /episode/index/show/believetosee/id/33869817

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