The deluge of frightful information we wake up to daily—though helpful in navigating a disease-ridden world with wisdom and love—ceases to be helpful when it eclipses everything else in sight. So when the Rabbit Room staff gathered on Monday to ask what it means to do the work before us in such a time as this, the answer took the familiar form of providing content that would contribute to the health of our imaginations, the sustaining of hope, and the de-escalation of anxiety—from our homes to yours.
So consider this following list to be a sort of digital care package for you and your loved ones. We hope these resources help you retain peace, endurance, and even togetherness (though of the technological kind) in days that threaten chaos.
The Local Show: Streaming Edition
Last night we began The Local Show: Streaming Edition, an in-the-round show where each artist tunes in from their own homes to share some songs. We’ll be doing our best to host one of these every Tuesday night until social distancing measures are lifted. Our hope is to provide a weekly opportunity to gather together, even if only online, to be nourished by some tunes. These concerts will be accessible via Facebook and YouTube.
In addition, we are encouraging viewers to make donations to our Facebook fundraiser for touring musicians. As a result of the coronavirus, many artists have had to cancel their shows, which can be devastating when touring is the main source of income, so we want to do whatever we can to help. 100% of funds raised will go directly to touring artists who have lost shows due to current events.
Slugs & Bugs Online Sing-Alongs
Yesterday morning, Slugs & Bugs livestreamed a special sing-along. Don’t think they’re not going to do that again! (Psst: rumor has it that their next sing-along will take place on Saturday at 4:00pm.) Follow Slugs & Bugs on Facebook and Instagram to know when to tune in.
Gullahorn Happy Hour: Quarantine Edition
Andy and Jill Gullahorn went live on Facebook Monday night for what they dubbed Gullahorn Happy Hour: Quarantine Edition. They sang songs, took requests, and provided a bit of camaraderie for all of us stuck at home. They’ll be doing more of those, too—stay tuned at Andy’s Facebook and Instagram pages to know when the next livestream will happen.
Wingfeather Saga Readalong with Andrew Peterson
Beginning on Friday, Andrew Peterson will be reading On the Edge of The Dark Sea of Darkness every night at 7:00pm via Facebook Live. Tune in nightly at Andrew’s Facebook page to journey through this story together.
Fin’s Revolution with A. S. Peterson
Now is a great time to dig into the Fin’s Revolution Podcast, wherein A. S. Peterson reads through the entirety of The Fiddler’s Gun (and yes, he does all the voices). If you’d like to read this marvelous book, and you’d like the author himself to read it to you, then look no further.
Online Read-Aloud & Resources: Jennifer Trafton
Jennifer has an e-newsletter that includes reading recommendations, creative prompts, occasional free coloring pages, and other resources. Click here to sign up.
Starting March 19th and continuing through April 4th, Jennifer will be doing a live read-aloud of Henry and the Chalk Dragon every day at 10:00am CST. Join in at Jennifer’s Facebook page.
Jennifer teaches online creative writing classes for kids and families. They are independent study and thus open to all ages, though they’re aimed primarily at 8-13 year olds.
She’s currently offering a 15% off coupon for any one of her 6-week classes (“Playing with Words,” “What If,” and “Spies in the Universe”)—just use the code BECREATIVE2020.
There is also a free Henry and the Chalk Dragon class, plus she plans to add more short workshops in the coming weeks.
Online Classes: Jonathan Rogers
Free Stuff
Thursday, March 19th at 7:30pm—Jonathan’s free monthly webinar. A scintillating discussion of commas!
If you can apply eight or ten clear rules, you can get your commas right every time. The less-good news about commas is that you have to know a good bit of grammar in order to apply those eight or ten rules. In this webinar, we will review the comma rules as well as the underlying grammar that governs their use. Click here to register.
Saturday, March 21st at 10:00am—A Facebook Live mini-lesson drawn from Jonathan’s upcoming Writing With Atticus online class. This one will be about finding your unique voice.
Scout Finch, the first-person narrator of To Kill a Mockingbird, has one of the most unique and compelling voices in American literature. In this thirty-minute lesson, drawn from his upcoming “Writing With Atticus” class, author and teacher Jonathan Rogers will discuss voice in Harper Lee’s classic and consider ways you as a writer can find and express your unique voice. Click here to learn more.
And after Jennifer finishes her read-aloud, Jonathan will run a Bog Owl book club. Details to come.
Not-Free Stuff
Writing With Atticus. Thursday afternoons, April 2nd—May 7th. Participants will read through To Kill a Mockingbird together with an eye to see what Harper Lee can teach about writing. (For adults and high-schoolers). Click here for more information.
Fiction Workshop. March 30th—April 24th. In this four-week intensive on fiction-writing, participants will work on a single story (5000 words max) for the whole four weeks, writing and rewriting, getting feedback from Jonathan as well as from fellow writers. Limited to 6 participants. Click here to register.
Great Homeschool Convention Resource Package
One especially disappointing result of the pandemic was that we had to cancel our involvement in the next few homeschool conventions. Though there’s no replacement for getting to see you in person, we’re providing some free homeschooling resources for the next month at the following links:
Henry & the Chalk Dragon Curriculum Guide (by Jennifer Trafton)
The Wilderking Trilogy Curriculum Guide (by Jonathan Rogers)
The Angel Knew Papa and the Dog Reading Guide (by Doug McKelvey)
These guides contain a wealth of fun activities to accompany the books themselves—hours of learning and fun for you and your family.
This archive contains seventeen hours of audio from sessions like “The Art of Hymnody” with Keith Getty and Kevin Twit, “Writing Close to the Earth” with Andrew Peterson and Jonathan Rogers, and Leif Enger’s keynote address.
And this archive includes over eighteen hours of audio from sessions like “The Whole World is Listening In” with Charlie Peacock, “Working with the Better Half” with Don Chaffer, Lori Chaffer, Andy Gullahorn, & Jill Phillips, and Luci Shaw’s keynote address.
Both archives are normally available for $30 in our store, but we’re giving them away for free for the next month.
Every Moment Holy: Free Liturgy Downloads
Lastly, we’ve curated a collection of liturgies from Every Moment Holy that carry special significance for the time in which we find ourselves. Visit EveryMomentHoly.com/Liturgies for free downloads of these choices, including “For Those Flooded by Too Much Information,” “For a Sick Day,” and “For Medical Providers.”
All of us are familiar with that tired question, “What use is art?” At times, it’s difficult to answer, and we’re hard-pressed to point to the tangible results of singing, storytelling, and mundane acts of creativity.
And yet, when that question exits the realm of theory and enters the world of immediate experience, the answer becomes as simple as it is clear: art pushes against the darkness, fortifies the soul, and lightens our burdens. In times like these, it’s abundantly clear that art is no mere luxury. So as long as the darkness bears us down, we invite you to join us in lighting a candle.