Join fiction writers, poets, theologians, and visual artists for a thoughtful discussion and exploration about the Catholic Imagination.
You’ll hear from these Catholic Creatives and guest panelists:
Eric Armusik, born in 1973 in Pennsylvania’s coal region, grew up surrounded by ethnic Catholic churches that deeply influenced his love for sacred art. At age 10, he won a regional art contest, launching a lifelong pursuit of classical realism. He earned a BFA in painting and a minor in art history at Penn State, studying Baroque art in Italy and later refining his technique under Nelson Shanks.
Eric has exhibited internationally, including at the Florence Biennale and Figurativas in Barcelona, and is an Art Renewal Center Associate Living Master. His powerful, traditional figurative paintings are held in museums, churches, and private collections worldwide. Since 2016, he has worked on his magnum opus: a 40-panel series on Dante’s Inferno, in collaboration with Dante scholar Christopher Kleinhenz. His artwork has been prominently featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Fine Art Connoisseur, among others.
Sarah Cortez has taught creative writing in first-grade classrooms, juvenile detention centers, book festivals, police departments, universities, high schools, and corporate boardrooms. She is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters and Fellow of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture. Her poems, essays, book reviews, and short stories are anthologized and published in journals, such as Southwestern American Literature, Rattle, The Sun, and Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry. Recently anthologized in The Saint Mary’s Book of Christian Verse, and in Contemporary Catholic Poetry, she is a contributing editor for Catholic Arts Today, and arts columnist for St. Austin Review. She writes for National Catholic Register and Texas Catholic Herald. With decades of work as a developmental editor for publishers, she is the founder and president of Catholic Literary Arts, a national community of faith-filled educators and writers dedicated to furthering creative writing skills. She and Lesley Clinton are the series editors of The Living Fire: Contemporary Catholic Writers for the Classroom (Wiseblood Books, 2025).
Danny Fitzpatrick is the editor of Joie de Vivre: A Journal of Art, Culture, and Letters for South Louisiana. He is the author of the novels First Make Mad and Only the Lover Sings, the poetry collections Yonder in the Sun and Quarter Blend Polly, a translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy, and Restoring the Lord’s Day: How Reclaiming Sunday Can Revive Our Human Nature. Daniel’s poems and essays have appeared in Dappled Things, New Verse Review, Ekstasis, and New Oxford Review, among others. He holds an M.Phil. in Creative Writing from Trinity College Dublin and an M.A. in Philosophy from Holy Apostles College, and he is completing an M.A. in John Paul II Studies from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Daniel teaches English at Jesuit High School in New Orleans.
Carla Galdo is a writer and editor for the women’s book group Well-Read Mom. She has written for a variety of publications, including Humanum: Issues in Family, Culture, and Science, Front Porch Republic, Our Sunday Visitor, and others. Her poetry has appeared in Dappled Things, Modern Age, New Verse Review, Solum Journal, and on Irish Southeast Radio. She is the recipient of the 2024 St. Austin Review Prize for Poetry. She is faculty for CLA and other organizations in literature, theology, and book reviewing, and leads a Catholic Literary Arts poetry critique group for adult writers. Carla earned an MTS from the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of St. Thomas-Houston. More of her work can be found at carlagaldo.com.
Rev. Peter A. Heasley, S.Th.D., is a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, where he serves as pastor of the Parish of Corpus Christi and Notre Dame, chaplain to Columbia University, and adjunct professor of Scripture at Saint Joseph’s Seminary. A native of Detroit, Michigan, he has worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali, West Africa and as an architect in New York City.
His short fiction and poetry criticism have appeared in Dappled Things, Saturday Evening Post, and Presence. In his series of character-driven dystopian novels (which Kirkus Reviews has praised as “measured and painterly”), he seeks to map hope on the human body. His latest novel, The Shadow of Two Suns, is widely available.
Lynda Holler After decades of working in the creative fields of fashion design, computer graphics, and school curriculum design, Lynda made a radical career change to ministry work. As the Director of Discipleship for St. Lawrence O’Toole Church in Brewster, NY, she plans and oversees all Adult Faith Formation programs and the Discipleship Small Groups. Since October 2020, she has been authoring a weekly bulletin article entitled, “The Way,” focused on discipleship and developing a closer relationship with Jesus. In addition to the guidance the Holy Spirit has provided for her writing, He has inspired Lynda to illustrate sacred art scenes of Jesus’ intimate relationship in our everyday lives.
Tamara Nicholl-Smith’s poetry has appeared on two Albuquerque city bus panels, one parking meter, numerous radio shows, a spoken-word classical piano fusion CD, and in several publications, including The Examined Life Journal, Catholic Arts Today and America. Her poem on Saint Jerome is part of the display of the Guttenberg Bible installed at the University of Saint Thomas. Tamara is faculty and a member of Catholic Literary Arts and a contributor to CLA’s “Joy of Catholic Poetry” and “Resurrection Joy” presentations done at parishes, schools, and universities.
Kiernan O’Connor works in advancement for the University of St. Thomas-Houston and serves on the advisory committee of Catholic Literary Arts. He studied English at Columbia University and is currently pursuing his MFA in creative writing at UST. His work has appeared in Dappled Things, Catholic Arts Today, and elsewhere.
This panel will include
· Q&A
· Discussion
· Moderator
