The Anselm Society’s Arts Guild just admitted its new members for 2026 and kicked off its year with a wonderful conversation on prayer and the life of the artist, with Lancia Smith of Cultivating a Writer's Life and Terri L. Fisher (hosted by our guild director Christina Brown).

We talked all evening, and the event (as a Guild event) was closed to the public, but I’m happy to make the formal part of the evening available to our donors and paid subscribers.

If you are an active donor or paid subscriber, you can access the video via our Substack channel here.

Not set up with your Substack subscription even though you’re a paid donor? Check your email (including spam) for a welcome email with a setup link; if you can’t find it, email caroline@anselmsociety.org.

What You’ll Learn:

  • How to think about prayer beyond words—as dialogue, exchange, and being in God’s presence

  • Why and how artists can experience prayer through their senses and creative work, not just verbal communication

  • Practical prayer structures for creative people

  • How to use prayer to “clean house” mentally and spiritually before entering your creative work

  • Why structured prayer can help anxious, ADHD, or scattered minds find focus and peace

  • The connection between learning prayer as a “native language” and growing closer to God

  • How community and courage intersect with both prayer life and creative practice