LITERATURE + LECTURES

On Thursday, January 14, the Houston GLBT Community Center will launch a new Literary Series with a reading by the Rev. Rick Elliott from his new inspirational book, Faith Journeys of the Heart. The 6:30-8 p.m. event will be held at the Houston Public Library’s Freed-Montrose Library (4100 Montrose Blvd.) and will be open to the public at no charge. The Community Center Reading Series, which will feature work by gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender writers, is a collaborative program with the Houston Public Library.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Houston Public Library on our new reading series,” says organizer Tim Brookover of the Community Center board of directors. “We look forward to working with the library on upcoming programs at the Freed Library in Montrose and at the Central Library downtown.”

With Faith Journeys of the Heart, Elliott features a collection of short stories inspired by Biblical passages. Elliott, an ordained minister, says he felt he was missing something in certain passages when he used study tools in seminary. “Finally I realized that emotion was a significant component in those Bible passages. I began to ask myself how I could involve people in the emotion of each passage? Stories seemed a natural way. Jesus frequently used stories, and Jewish tradition does too.”

Mr Elliott has been writing from an early age. He soon found his natural ability and talented prose an enjoyment he wished to share. Over the years, he has developed a unique writing style, allowing the character and plot to evolve around him when he begins his work. This ingredient captures the imagination of the reader and takes us on paths rarely visited. Using places and people he has known as a platform to build the expressive and vibrant characters who populate his work, Mr Elliott shows the talent of the born storyteller." 

Copies of Faith Journeys will be available for purchase at the January 14 reading. Elliott will sign books purchased at the event. Light refreshments will be served.

For more information on Elliott and his new book, visit www.revrickelliott.com.

The Houston GLBT Community Center is home base for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies in the metropolitan region and southeast Texas. Established in 1996, the Community Center is located at 3400 Montrose Blvd., Suite 207. The phone number is 713.524.3818. The website is www.hglbtcc.org.