By Justin Markofski
Northside News
Q: Tell us about your work, your writing journey, and your upcoming book title.
I work as the Director of Global Engagement & Justice for a faith-based nonprofit. I help university students explore the intersection of their faith with justice issues both here in the U.S. and around the world. I’ve written 4 non-fiction books over the years, the most recent one is called, Bad Religion, Good News: An Honest Guide for the Spiritually Disappointed. However, my real passion is writing fiction. I’ve written 3 unpublished dystopian fiction novels, but fiction is a very hard genre to break into.
Q: Who is your recently released book primarily written for, and who do you hope benefits from reading it?
I have in mind people who are drawn to the Christian faith but repelled by the church. I feel like disappointment with the church or with other Christians is like dying the death of a thousand paper cuts. Every terrible, cringe-worthy thing said or done by fellow Christians is like a blow to my relationship with the larger Christian community. The book is my attempt to work out my faith as I journey alongside a fallible institution without minimizing its sins, nor dismissing the Christian community altogether.
Q: Tell us about your relationship to the Northside of Madison.
When my wife, Janine, and I moved to our home on Porter Ave. in 1991, this was still known to most of our friends as the “Eastside.” It felt far away from the parts of Madison that we were familiar with. It has since developed its own identity, distinct from the Eastside. There is a kind of “bohemian” vibe to the Northside, like I could easily find a place where someone is reading anti-war poetry in a smokey room of small tables with people sipping espresso and snapping their fingers after each poem. It was a great place to raise our kids who practically grew up living at the Lakeview branch Library.
Q: What is something surprising that some friends may not even know about you?
When I was in high school, I did a demonstration speech about how to castrate a pig (I lived on a farm at the time). Also, ever since I was a small child I wanted to be a dad. I received a life-sized, stuffed chimpanzee for a gift one Christmas and carried it around on my hip like a child. I also loved the TV series, The Partridge Family, and wished that Danny Partridge could be my son. Being the father of human children who are not TV personalities has been even better than my childhood dreams.
Q: What else do you want to share with our Northside News readers?
If you’re interested in hearing more about the challenge of loving the faith but struggling with the church, I’m doing a book launch on campus at a place called the Upper House on May 29. You can find out more at www.slbf.org/events
