In May of 2022 I attended Quakers Uniting in Publications’ (QUIP) annual conference. It was an uplifting experience, and I came away with much to think about. One of the workshops was entitled “A Quaker Writer, or a Quaker, Writing? A Workshop with Philip Gross.” This was not a question I had spent much time thinking about. I still don’t have a definitive answer, but the workshop did change my perspective. If you had asked me before the workshop, am I a Quaker Writer, I would have said, “no.” Now, I think I would have to say “maybe,” and I would like to explain why.
I have been immersed in Story pretty much my entire life. Even before I could read, plots were easier for me to remember than names and faces. I struggled with Dyslexia in my childhood and Books on Tape were my windows into amazing worlds that sparked my own imagination. I started writing my own stories there, in my imagination, and later started writing them on paper and computers. I still write almost every day, but I was not called to writing as a career. I found I had an affinity for computer programming and that has allowed me to live a decently comfortable life with my wife and raise three amazing children.
I have also been immersed in Quakerism my entire life. I was born into the Society of Friends, having parents that were attracted both to the faith and to the work Quakers do in the world. I have grown up in Quaker Meetings, attended Quaker Schools, and spent summers at a Quaker camp for most of my childhood. Currently I am a member of Providence Friends Meeting in RI.
So, I believe I have some claim to the titles of Quaker and Writer. In the workshop that put me solidly in the “Quaker that writes” group but I didn’t think it qualified me as a “Quaker Writer.” This begs the question, what is a Quaker Writer.
When I think of Quaker Writers, I think of people like Fox and Woolman who wrote profound journals about their experience of Spirit. Or I think of modern writers who write non-fiction that delves deep into issues of oppression, spiritual journeys, or a myriad of other thought-provoking topics. I don’t think the title of Quaker Writer only pertains to Friends that write about Quakerism, but it does imply some spiritual connection to the faith in there writing.
The stuff I write is predominantly fiction. Further, it tends to fall under the umbrella of Speculative Fiction, or Science Fiction and Fantasy. I find myself drawn in by characters and the stories of their lives; asking questions like what if a character with this background finds themselves in this situation. For example, the book I am current working on is about Ash, a conservative Christian, lesbian, werewolf who finds herself going to MIT. While I hope my work is engaging, I place story and entertainment over thought provoking and spiritual.
However, after the workshop I started reassessing my definitions. As I explored this further, three key things stood out to me:
• The source of my prose.
• The inspiration for my writing.
• The themes running through my writing.
The Source of My Prose:
When I sit in Meeting for Worship, I often experience my characters talking to me. Please, do not mistake this for me saying that my work is “divinely inspired,” as many believe the Bible or Koran are. Also, explaining exactly what the experience is like for me, is not easy. It is not a conversation like two people might have, but who my characters are, what they want, how they will react, what they will do next, and so on… are things that occupy my mind during Meeting, and other quiet times. And, while I have full agency over my writing, the answers that come to me are often surprising.
For example, my original intent was to set Ash’s story in modern day, but characters from a world set in the near future kept wandering in. I will talk more about the story of that world when I discuss inspiration. My point here is that I made several attempts to move Ash’s story out of that world and ultimately failed. Another example was discovering that Sandra, who I will introduce below, was actually a mythical creature, called a succubus. Believe me, she was almost as surprised as I was.
As I said, I am not trying to deny my own agency in my writing or pass off responsibility for what is written. However, I do feel that listening to these characters is in some way a spiritual experience for me. In other words, it is a way for me to ask questions and gain insights about my world that would be hard for me to do otherwise.
The Inspiration for My Writing:
Until recently, most of my writing was set in a in a world far away from our Earth, not even in the same universe/reality as ours. This world was created by five gods and populated by five intelligent races. The stories there were about fighters and princes, shamans and wizards, dragons and elves, … However, my writing took a shift after I attended a workshop at Friends General Conference a few years back.
The workshop was “Being a Modern Prophet” with Gail Thomas. It was a wonderful experience, full of some very interesting questions. It inspired me to write a short story about a woman in the near future who is called to be a prophet. I have long been interested in the effects of hyper connectivity and how it might shape society, so my initial question was what it would be like to be a prophet in that world.
The woman, whose name is Sandra O’Connor, was an influencer, which means she assumed multiple identities online to promote products, political views, and anything else someone would pay for. In the story, she receives an email from God telling her that she must quit her job and become a prophet. In this world the Internet has become pervasive in all aspects of life. God goes on to explain that people are using the Internet to do evil and, like with the Flood, God intends to destroy the Internet in the near future. Sandra is given the task of warning people, asking them to prepare, and to rebuild with love.
The trope of all technology failing is a popular one these days. I am actually not that found of it, for two reasons: one, it is often achieved with some very unbelievable contrivance, and two, the results are often portrayed as a complete breakdown of society, which I find unlikely. However, the story that came to me was not about what happens after, but what happens before. What about the people who see the oncoming disaster and how do they react to it? This seemed like a very interesting scenario to explore.
That short story has grown into a set of novel length stories about Sandra’s ministry. From her time visiting an ultra-conservative community that was besieged by the FBI, to her visiting a one of the first Jesuit Monasteries (this is in the future), to her appearance at a youth revival, Sandra has had many interesting adventures so far.
Still, none of this is directly related to my Quakerism. Sandra does not consider herself a Quaker. In fact, she probably doesn’t even know what the title means. She was raised in a secular household and has only become involved with the conservative Christian community because they are the only ones who will pay her. However, her message is undeniably Quaker.
Sandra’s primary message has been revealed to me (apologies, but “revealed” is the best term I have for it) to be valuing God’s Love above God’s Law. This is at the heart of my own beliefs; that God loves us all and calls on us to love and try to understand each other and the universe around us. Further, that Love supersedes any rules, divinely inspired or otherwise, that might bind us to a certain code or ethic which results in hate or causes pain. From this Love flows Sandra’s commitment to non-violence and continued revelation, two things that are important to me.
The Themes Running through My Writing:
I do not enforce Quaker values on my characters. While Sandra’s ministry obviously includes many Quaker elements, she is not the point of view or even main character of most of my work. While I find her arc interesting, her nature, as a prophet, is not very dynamic. However, the characters around her are. For example, Sandra is one hundred percent committed to non-violence, but Cora, her companion who loves her utterly, is not. Through Cora, I can explore the problems associated with trying to live up to Sandra’s ideals.
Similarly, Ash, who has become a follower of Sandra, struggles with the wolf within her and the violent tendencies of her species. In addition to struggling with her sexuality, while Sandra is clear that love is love and has no issues with any sexual orientation.
As I reflect back on my earlier works, there are many similar themes. In one series, the characters struggle with whether the ends justify the means, as they set out to create a military dictatorship in order to “save” their homeland from invasion. On the other side of that world, another character struggles with love, mortality, and being a healer in a violent world. In the end, I have to admit that many of these themes sprung from my Quakerism.
Am I a Quaker Writer
However, does this make me a “Quaker Writer?” None of my characters identifies themselves as Quaker and I currently have no plans for one. (I never say never, so as not to tempt fate and have one force their way into a story.) Additionally, my writing is about story, themes happen and are important, but they are not why I write, and I hope my writing will never slip over into being preachy. For example, some of my heroes do successfully rely on violence to achieve their ends and I try not to apply my moral code on them. I write, for the most part, to tell the stories of these characters that have wandered into my life.
I suppose, in the end it is not up to me, but to you. I have no intention of stopping writing or stopping being a Quaker. So, I guess I will have to leave it up to my readers to decide if I am a Quaker Writer or a Quaker, who writes. But I am deeply humbled to realize that this is even a question that might be asked about me.
P.S. I am always striving to improve how I tell my stories and make them more accessible to a broader audience. If you have any interest in reading them and potentially giving me feedback, please reach out to me at sam@oakbear.net. Fair warning, my writing does contain violence, sex, and fantastical elements. You can also check out my blog at http://thoughts.oakbear.net/, which generally contains none of those things. If you do, please let me know what you think.
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