Over the past decade, Amish fiction–and in particular the romance novel–has boomed in popularity. Valerie Weaver-Zercher joins us today to discuss the genre, including the history of the Amish romance (not as new as you might think), who reads–and writes–Amish romances, and what Amish think about them. Valerie is a writer and editor whose work [...]
Continue reading Valerie Weaver-Zercher on the Amish romance novel
I’ll be filling in for Suzanne Woods Fisher on the Amish Wisdom program again today. Very much looking forward to speaking with my guest, Karen Johnson-Weiner. Karen is professor of anthropology at SUNY-Potsdam, and author of numerous books and publications on the Amish including Train Up a Child: Old Order Amish and Mennonite Schools, and [...]
Continue reading Karen Johnson-Weiner on Amish Wisdom radio today
I recently read a book I’d been looking forward to for a long time. An Amish Paradox: Diversity and Change in the World’s Largest Amish Community is an in-depth look at the Amish settlement at Holmes County, Ohio, and one of the most interesting books on the Amish I have read. In Ohio last month [...]
Continue reading An interview with “An Amish Paradox” authors Charles Hurst and David McConnell
We never actually got to the brown eggs, but did cover a lot of other ground during my interview with Ira Wagler yesterday. That includes Ira’s takes on buggy speakers bigger than the driver, Ira’s experience leaving the Amish, and why the “all things Amish” wave may be cresting. Listen to the podcast here (link [...]
Continue reading First Farm——> Ira Wagler
Just got back from Holmes County, and have a good bit of posts from that trip–among other things, I visited Raber’s bookshop, attended a New Order church service, and generally stayed out of trouble. More to come. But since it’s just out today, I wanted to share two things: first, an Amish business article from [...]
Continue reading CNNMoney article and video on Amish Business
In the previous two posts, SUNY Potsdam Professor Karen Johnson-Weiner answered questions on the Swartzentruber Amish and Amish settlements in New York state. Today she shares her knowledge of Old Order schools. Amish America: Your book Train Up a Child: Old Order Amish and Mennonite Schools examines parochial schooling among these related groups. In a [...]
Continue reading An Amish America Q-and-A with Professor Karen Johnson-Weiner: Part Three
In the previous post, SUNY Potsdam Professor Karen Johnson-Weiner answered questions on Amish settlements in New York state. Today she shares her knowledge of the Swartzentruber Amish. Amish America: Could you explain who exactly the term ‘Swartzentruber’ refers to? In what ways do the Swartzentruber Amish differ from ‘mainstream’ Amish? Professor Karen Johnson-Weiner: The Swartzentruber [...]
Continue reading An Amish America Q-and-A with Professor Karen Johnson-Weiner: Part Two
Karen Johnson-Weiner is Chair of the Department of Anthropology at SUNY Potsdam, and has been studying the Amish for 25 years. Professor Johnson-Weiner’s areas of specialty include Old Order schools, language in Anabaptist communities, and the Swartzentruber Amish. In Part One of this three-part Q-and-A, she shares her insights on New York Amish. Amish America: [...]
Continue reading An Amish America Q-and-A with Professor Karen Johnson-Weiner
In this second part of an interview with an anonymous Lancaster County Amishman, we look at the phenomenon of outsiders joining the Amish, using the Amish name to market and sell products to the public, Amish participation in the recent presidential election, and the meaning and purpose of shunning. (And if you missed the first [...]
Continue reading Part Two: An Amish America Q-and-A with a Lancaster County Amishman
