179: Research and Close Reading - Interview with Stephen Morris

Happy Holidays word nerds!

To help you enjoy this special week between Christmas and New Year’s, we’ve got an awesome show for featuring author Stephen Morris!

Stephen holds degrees in medieval history and theology from Yale and St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Academy. He is also a former priest of the Russian Orthodox Church.

He has written several historical and contemporary fantasy books as well as the nonfiction book When Brothers Dwell in Unity: Byzantine Christianity and Homosexuality. What drew me to this book in particular is how Stephen approached his research through close reading.

Listen in as we talk about Stephen’s research methods, and how to dissect and truly understand texts.

In this episode Stephen and I discuss: What do these words mean? Understanding the context and time period of texts. Stephen’s research methods: The art of index cards. What to do when faced with contradictions and a lack of answers to your questions. Battling confirmation bias and how to safeguard against it. Dealing with push back when writing and publishing a controversial topic. Plus, Stephen’s #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/179