Amish Books and Media

Journal of Plain Anabaptist Communities (JPAC) Issue #2 Now Available

Journal of Plain Anabaptist Communities (JPAC) Issue #2 Now Available

The Journal of Plain Anabaptist Communities (JPAC) has just released its second issue (Volume 1, Issue 2). We previously covered the release of the inaugural issue, and an article from that edition by Mark Louden on language and Plain health care. The Journal is sponsored by the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, and the Amish & Mennonite Heritage…

Katrina Hoover Lee on From the White House to the Amish

Katrina Hoover Lee on From the White House to the Amish

From the White House to the Amish is the new book from Katrina Hoover Lee telling the story of Thomas E. Kirkman, who lived a remarkable life which took him from the highest corridors of power to becoming a convert to the Amish. The book is a real page-turner. Katrina wrote Kirkman’s story as a biographical fiction, which she explains in the Q-and-A below. Katrina…

Elizabeth Byler Younts: Why Readers Love The Amish

Elizabeth Byler Younts: Why Readers Love The Amish

“People especially now want to get away…they want something that will draw them away from the complicated life, and the uncertainty.” Elizabeth Byler Younts is an author of Amish-themed fiction who spent part of her childhood in an Amish family. She digs into the question of why readers love Amish fiction in a podcast from the Anselm Society. Elizabeth has some good insights and I…

German Lutherans to Pennsylvania Amish: The Stoltzfus Family Story (Interview & 2-Book Giveaway)

German Lutherans to Pennsylvania Amish: The Stoltzfus Family Story (Interview & 2-Book Giveaway)

Nic Stoltzfus (S. Nicholas Stoltzfus) is a 10th-generation descendant of Nicholas Stoltzfus, one of the best-known figures in Amish and Anabaptist history. Nic is also the author of a book released last year on his ancestor’s family: German Lutherans to Pennsylvania Amish: The Stoltzfus Family Story. The Stoltzfus surname is one that most who know the Amish are well-acquainted with, as it is the most…

JPAC: Mark Louden On Language & Plain Health Care

JPAC: Mark Louden On Language & Plain Health Care

Last week we informed you of a new free online resource called The Journal of Plain Anabaptist Communities. Here’s a summary of one of the articles you might find of interest – Mark Louden’s “Plain Talk about Health: Linguistics Aspects of Mediation between Amish and Mennonites and Health Care Professionals”, courtesy of editor Joe Donnermeyer. The inaugural issue of The Journal of Plain Anabaptist Communities…

17 Amish Periodicals

17 Amish Periodicals

Earlier this week I let you know about the Journal of Plain Anabaptist Communities (JPAC), a new open-source scholarly publication. But what about publications produced by the Amish? While scholarly journals provide a different and valuable perspective, it’s also nice to read writings direct from Amish writers. And there is a wide and growing range of such periodicals. Some of these are pretty well-known, while…

Amish Romance Ghostwriter Wanted: 1 Penny Per Word

Folks, does anyone actually take these offers? This is an addendum to my June post on the ad I found for Amish romance plot writers. A number of you chimed in explaining how bad their deal was. Here’s what some of you with professional writing experience had to say then: Boyce Rensberger: The fees offered are absurdly low. This must be some kind of rip-off….

Wanted: Amish Romance Plot Writer?

Wanted: Amish Romance Plot Writer?

Well, not wanted by me, but by someone who’s posted a job offer on freelancing site Upwork. This is just a quirky thing I came across in my Amish news feed today. I wondered some years ago if the appeal of Amish romance would continue. Going by anecdotal evidence at least, the genre appears to still be running strong. This kind of ad seems to…

Ira Wagler on Broken Roads: Returning To My Amish Father

Ira Wagler on Broken Roads: Returning To My Amish Father

Ira Wagler‘s best-selling 2011 memoir Growing Up Amish told the story of his life as a young man, and his eventual decision to leave the Amish behind. Broken Roads: Returning To My Amish Father is his just-released follow-up. It covers subsequent events in his life, and in particular, his relationship with his father, David L. Wagler. Among David’s accomplishments, he was co-founder of the Amish…

Brad Igou on Amish Voices: A Collection of Amish Writings (Book Giveaway)

Brad Igou on Amish Voices: A Collection of Amish Writings (Book Giveaway)

Free Rein One day in late fall, snow fell and caught me unprepared for winter. Hoping to save a little time, I took a different way home, one with which I was not too familiar, yet I anticipated no problem. Old Dobbin obligingly trotted on, but I was not far until I began to have doubts that this road was leading me home. By now…