The Well~Read Mom
2nd Annual Conference for Women
Friday, January 10th • 3 to 6:30 pm
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, New Brighton, MN
Leisure, Literature and Living Well: Why Deep Reading Matters for Busy Women
By Marcie Stokman, BSN, MA. Why is true leisure critical to a woman’s personal growth and happiness?
In this age of technology and increasing distraction, can we lose our capacity to think deeply? How does
reading literature cultivate the moral imagination and help us not to escape, but actually enter into the “daily
grind” with greater gladness? With gentle humor and real life stories, Marcie will explore these questions and
encourage women on their path to reading more and reading well.
Marcie, the founder of “The Well-Read Mom,” speaks and writes to encourage
women. Marcie and her husband Peter live in Crosby, MN. They have seven
children and have homeschooled for over twenty years.
“Myself it speaks and spells”: Integrity of Being in Jane Eyre and the Poetry of G.M. Hopkins
By Dr. Mary Reichardt. Striking in the works of 19th century British writers Charlotte Bronte and Gerard
Manley Hopkins is the strength and insistence of the personal voice. Although beset by trial it insists on
“fling[ing] out broad its name” in order to claim human dignity and make sense of suffering. This talk
focuses on Jane Eyre and select Hopkins’ poems in light of the quest for the integrity of the self.
The author of eight books, Dr. Reichardt holds a Ph.D in literature and has taught at the University
of St. Thomas for 25 years in the English and Catholic Studies departments. She currently is an
administrator for the university’s online education programs.
Fruitful Barrenness: Reflections on Dorothy Day’s The Long Loneliness
By Teresa Vargo. In her autobiography, we see how Day’s recognition of her interior poverty, led her to
pursue a mission that would bear fruit for the entire people of God. In her exceptional life, we see the
authentic flowering of the beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
After completing her studies in philosophy, Teresa worked full-time for her Diocesan Tribunal, then discerned a religious
vocation with the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles. Teresa is a graduate student at the
Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C.
An Introduction to Homer’s Odyssey: The Journey Home
By Dr. John Boyle. In The Odyssey, Homer tells of Odysseus’ ten year struggle to return home after the Trojan
War; he also tells the story of Odysseus’ son Telemachus coming of age. Central to both stories is the wife
and mother, Penelope. Dr. Boyle will introduce this foundational epic of western civilization, focusing on
central themes of home and motherhood.
Dr. Boyle is director of the graduate program in Catholic Studies at the University of
St. Thomas as well as professor of Catholic Studies and Theology. He holds a Ph.D
in Medieval Studies.
Cost is $12 when you pre-register online (www.wellreadmom.com)
and $16 at the door. Light refreshments will be served.