David Ghan/The Falcon “Thursday Food for Thought” is a weekly reading series held in the library in which faculty and staff authors read and discuss excerpts from their latest publications.

Speaking to a crowd of about ten listeners Feb. 14 in the SPU library, Response magazine senior writer Clint Kelly read from "Echo," his second novel in his "Sensations" series, which includes "Scent" and "Delicacy," as well. He discussed perceptions of God and trusting God, and internal and physical appetites.

Using passages from "Echo," Kelly offered advice to students who might write future novels.

Characters in their writing will gradually grow as they learn their strengths and weaknesses, he said. Like humans, characters in books live life while, at the same time, dealing with their personal short-comings. Kelly said that, as a writer grows in experience, they develop the characters in their stories more.

Kelly's reading was the fifth of the weekly series "Thursday Food for Thought" (TFFT), an opportunity for faculty and staff to display their published works. The university library hosts these readings the middle six Thursdays of each quarter from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. in the newly renovated Library Reading Room.

This program offers a unique chance for university staff to read from their published works and talk about them. Students may ask questions and buy a copy of the speakers' writings.

The initiators and organizers of the program are librarian Bryce Nelson, communications specialist Reece Carson, Response magazine's Web editor Hope McPherson and circulation technician Melody Steiner.

McPherson had wanted to involve the library more with the community, Carson said. He said that McPherson overheard an author desiring a place to expose a book. Then, the two ideas of joining the library and campus community and exposing published works "converged" in her mind, Carson said.

McPherson then suggested the idea to Nelson, who had already been tossing a similar idea around. Nelson got Carson's help to communicate the program to the community with the help of Steiner.

"Thursday Food for Thought" started in August and took place in the Library Seminar Room for the following five weeks, Carson said. This had been a test run, because they only had two or three weeks to put it together. For winter quarter, they moved to the Reading Room for regularity and control.

Since the start of the program, the reading room has become something like Meg Ryan's bookstore, "The Shop around the Corner" in the film "You've Got Mail." Steiner moved around a newspaper stand and a plant, among other items and furniture, to create a cozy environment.

Students can bring their lunch and fill their bodies with food while someone gives them food for their minds, Nelson said.

TFFT pursues the connections that books still have to people and the power oral readings have to this day, Carson said.

He said he wants TFFT to create community among faculty and students.

The average number of attendees for winter quarter was around 25, Nelson said. About 30 people attended professor of English Doug Thorpe's reading.

Professor of theological studies Priscilla Pope-Levison, a graduate of Duke University, was the last speaker for the winter series. On Feb. 21, she read from her fourth book "Turn the Pulpit Loose," which arose out of her teaching.

A preacher and feminist, she explores religious history, focusing on women's roles in evangelism around the world.

Pope-Levison said that God uses every person as a vessel to bring people to Christ. She presented the example of Mary as the first person to preach about the resurrection.

Each particular section of the book focuses on a woman who fought against gender discrimination and consists of a story, an excerpt of evangelistic methods and a reflection that Pope-Levison calls, "On Women."

So far, Carson said, writers have been thrilled to be invited. Already, Nelson, Carson, Steiner and McPherson have the line-up for next quarter and are finding next year's writers.

Theatre Department marketing associate and scholarship coordinator Kim Gilnett will speak first in the spring quarter line-up, which will also include publisher and editor of Image journal Gregory Wolfe and associate professor of English Jennifer Maier.