Beacons In The Darkness

Community journalism has long been a part of the lifeblood of America, but never have the stakes been so high for the people behind it. In Beacons in the Darkness, award-winning journalist Dave Hoekstra interviews the people trying to keep the lights on at community newspapers across the country amid buyouts, declining revenues, fake news, and a pandemic. This book is not another account of the death of local journalism—but rather a celebration of the community ties, perseverance, and empathy that’s demonstrated in community newsrooms from Hillsboro, Illinois, to Charleston, South Carolina, to Marfa, Texas. Hoekstra recounts the sometimes-scandalous but always-industrious stories of the families who built these newspapers and passed them down through generations. Modern publishers and owners describe in their own words their struggles and experiments to stay alive in the digital age, not just for their businesses and their families but also for the communities they serve and the neighbors whose stories they tell in their reporting. Beacons in the Darkness provides an intimate view inside the organizations that still publish photos of the local bowling league and the outlandishly large mushrooms on the edge of town, leaving you with a rekindled fondness for your own community paper—and a renewed appreciation of what we all stand to lose without one.

An incredible collection of stories for our shared planet from the likes of Joanne Harris, Toby Litt and Liz Jensen A riveting and provocative collection of short fiction, Beacons throws down the gauntlet to award-winning writers, challenging them to devise original responses to the climate crisis. From Joanne Harris’ cautionary tale of a world where ‘outside’ has become a thing of the past, to Nick Hayes’ graphic depiction of the primeval bond between man and nature, each story thrills the senses as it attempts to make sense of a world warping into something unfamiliar. Original, eclectic, and inventive, Beacons warns and inspires by offering stories that are as various as our possible futures. All author royalties will go to the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition.

Beacons of Light is a priceless and inspiring gift from the good and open heart of one of the global interfaith movement's wisest and most respected leaders, Marcus Braybrooke. It is impossible to read without being spiritually enriched. Your heart and mind will be opened by this treasure of a book that shines with the brightness of 100 of humanity's greatest lights.

Where will your next inspiration will come from? Where will you find your next light? The next stroke of positivity to get out of your rut? The editor of this collection decided to create some of his own light by asking his friends and family for their inspirational stories. Many of those have been compiled here for the world to find that same inspiration. Ranging from uplifting stories of personal challenges, to tales of acquaintances who overcame odds or simply took unexpected steps of kindness, to even the perspective of a lotus flower; this collection has a range of uplifting shorts to brighten your day.

What if those moments we put down to coincidence are really the calling cards of God? What if those pinpricks of light in the darkest places are beacons to guide us, telling of the agonizing love in God's heart? What if God is calling to us, 'I miss you, please come home' ? Lighting the Beacons seeks to expand our everyday horizons by daring us to believe that the realities of heaven can break through right here, right now. Inspired by her own recurring vision of pinpricks of light being fanned into flame, Bishop Jill writes for a wide audience to kindle faith in our hearts, to light beacons. Lighting The Beacons seeks to encourage those who are curious about the Christian faith, those who feel discouraged and those aspiring to be giants of faith and part of a transformed society. Lighting The Beacons is illustrated throughout with stories from contemporary culture, Scripture and the writings of the saints. It makes an excellent gift for those who yearn to be transformed by God. With study guides at the end of each chapter, it is also ideal for group discussion.

What will become of us in these trying times? How will we pass the time that we have on earth? In gorgeously rendered graphic form, Light in Dark Times invites readers to consider these questions by exploring the political catastrophes and moral disasters of the past and present, revealing issues that beg to be studied, understood, confronted, and resisted. A profound work of anthropology and art, this book is for anyone yearning to understand the darkness and hoping to hold onto the light. It is a powerful story of encounters with writers, philosophers, activists, and anthropologists whose words are as meaningful today as they were during the times in which they were written. This book is at once a lament over the darkness of our times, an affirmation of the value of knowledge and introspection, and a consideration of truth, lies, and the dangers of the trivial. In a time when many of us struggle with the feeling that we cannot do enough to change the course of the future, this book is a call to action, asking us to envision and create an alternative world from the one in which we now live. Light in Dark Times is beautiful to look at and to hold – an exquisite work of art that is lively, informative, enlightening, deeply moving, and inspiring.