Ever wonder how video games and heaven relate? Come find out at the next SF Art Forum, where poet and academic Evan R. Underbrink will be speaking on "Imagining Heaven: Writing, Reading, and Recognizing Eschatology in Art."
In our world today, “heaven” is one of the most creatively open topics for writers to explore. From modern re-interpretations of mythological heavenly realms in games like "Elder Scrolls: Skyrim," to films built around an almost purely contemporary investigation of the afterlife, like Pixar’s "Soul," to more blended approaches in TV shows such as "Supernatural," writing eschatology has proven to be a wellspring of inspiration for authors seeking to explore deeper topics of the human person, purpose, and meaning of life. From a Catholic academic and writer’s perspective, this talk considers how we can evaluate these contemporary presentations of heaven, and connect the rich wealth of the church tradition as it has written on eschatology, to both help the reader better contemplate and meditate on themes of heaven within the media they appreciate, and inspire authors to use the thought and spirituality of the Catholic tradition to enrich their creative endeavors.
