Writers Of Meaning
An Anthology on Community
➢ What is Estuary and is it an antidote to cancel culture?
➢ How is alchemy connected to community?
➢ Will humanity survive an alien attack? What will the survivors do in the aftermath?
➢ Can you understand the symbolism of the fairy tale screenplay inside?
➢ How did “This Little Corner” of the internet change a Hutterite’s life?
➢ What are the challenges the disabled face in trying to participate in community?
➢ How are geeks, rabbits and meaning connected?
This anthology is a collaboration which features stories and essays. The contributors and volunteers of this project are members of the Bridges of Meaning Discord server. Community is the theme of this book, because that’s the main purpose of the Bridges of Meaning Discord: to foster and facilitate “in real life” community to have more meaningful, good-faith conversations in person and online. Estuary is a small group vehicle to have these discussions. There have been numerous festivals, conferences and events around the world promoting and practicing Estuary.
Good community is sorely needed in our divided culture. We’re not perfect, but we’re talking and learning from each other. We come from all walks of life. Some are atheists and agnostics while others are from different faiths. Spanning across political persuasions and countries. Making real connections, friendships and a few folks have even gotten married and had children in our little corner of the internet. We have proven you can have deeper meaningful friendships and conversations with those you disagree with.
The Bridges of Meaning Discord was started by a member of Pastor Paul Vander Klay’s Estuary. He wanted to create an online space to facilitate other people around the world having the same kinds of meaningful and deeper conversations and strong bonds that they had in their local Estuary.
The proceeds of this book go towards supporting Paul Vander Klay’s ministry. Because he was our inspiration and shepherd guiding us into community with each other.
For more information about this book project and Estuary, visit www.WritersOfMeaning.com.
Authors
Valerie Flynn
Valerie Flynn is an author and podcaster. As a lifelong learner she enjoys
following rabbit trails wherever her curiosity leads her.
Professionally, Miss Flynn worked in film/video & radio as a production
manager / producer for over 30 years with her father and brother. Some
of the media projects she worked on was with Hanna-Barbera, Putnam
Berkley and Turner Entertainment.
She was a co-producer of the Words of Freedom radio show for 9
years. Inspired from the Words of Freedom ~ Men of History audiobook.
Valerie’s various interests include anime/manga, co-housing, community,
essential oils, emergency preparedness, reading, the SCA, and of course,
writing.
Are you a helper, learner, writer or involved in the creative field? She’s
looking to meet courteous, chivalrous and interesting people to have
meaningful conversations with.
Life is an adventure. The journey’s sweeter with friends. Reach out to her
on her website: www.ValerieFlynn.com.
Dan Veeneman
Dan Veeneman works in the dairy industry as a ventilation specialist. He
lives in Abbotsford, B.C., with his wife and three children. He is a member
of Gateway Community Church.
Josh Hunt
Josh grew up in rural southwest Michigan. He was raised in a Christian
home with parents that regularly attended Baptist and Bible churches
with their two sons. He has always had an interest in the humanities and
intermittently attended college with the aim of going into psychology until
his mid twenties. After feeling disillusioned with academia, he decided to
change course and began buying houses and renovating them. He worked
in retail while going through college and moved on to become a licensed
builder after a few years of practice on his own houses. In the middle of
this course change was when he met his now wife. He worked primarily as
a painter until his first son was born and then became a stay-at-home dad
for the next seven years while having three additional children. He still lives
in southwest Michigan on his grandparents’ homestead established in the
1960’s. He now works as a general carpenter and painter again while he and
his wife homeschool their four children.
John Vandonk
Originally immigrating from the Netherlands as an aspiring dairyman,
John Vandonk received his M.Div from Fuller Theological Seminary in
Pasadena, and then served as pastor in several CRC churches for the next
ten years. After what could be referred to as a mid-life crisis, John went back
to his dairy roots for another ten years, followed by ten more years in a pool
and spa equipment repair business, from which he retired in 2014.
Though no longer in a formal clergy role John never lost his affection
for pastoral ministry, serving his church in Chino, California primarily as
community organizer and in leadership training. Bringing people together
for meaningful conversation was never far from his radar.
His friendship with Paul Vander Klay resulted in a new challenge, which
was to recruit, train, mobilize, and deploy people willing to help start local
on-the-ground estuary groups around the world. The symbiosis between
Paul’s online virtual connection with people around the world, and John’s
single-minded focus on face-to-face interaction by as many people as are
willing to reach out to others in-person, has proven to be a successful
formula for the growth of the estuary project.
More recently, John has brought together a larger group of estuary
visionaries, who have accepted the challenge of steering the estuary project,
with all its different components, as a sustainable resource for mutually
respectful conversation across ideological lines for years to come.
Julian Waldner
Julian Waldner is a member of the Decker Hutterite Community in
Manitoba, Canada, a former welder and student at Canadian Mennonite
University. Julian’s blog where he writes about Christianity and the good life.
Chad and Anne
An anonymous husband and wife writing team that wrote together during their dating years onwards.
David Walker
A Writer/Screenwriter located in Kansas City
Writes on Show Me Movies Substack:
Also can be followed on Twitter:
@showmemoviesINC
And Instagram:
thedavy_jones_locker
For project updates and more
Images within Merlin were created by Ian Pegler, an Artist/Illustrator
located in Denver.
Jordan A. Johnson
Blending a love of fairy stories and anime into speculative fiction—
and lots of worldbuilding. My stories feature vast worlds to explore, with
adventure often at the forefront. Characters must navigate encroaching
darkness, wild catastrophe, and often apocalyptic situations as they chase
after hope—often just out of reach—in the end, finding something more
about themselves and where they stand in their world.
Works self-published include:
Order and The Nonpareil of Resh
Additional works that can be found online for free include:
The Girl and the Armor and A Tour of the World Between Worlds
Follow on twitter @jajohnsonauthor
Follow on Instagram: jajohnsonauthor
Find stories on Royal Road under the handle Ochroleucous