SCAD Keynote Events:
Research as Detective Work: Exploring the Papers of C.S. Lewis and Dorothy Sayers
3:30 – 4:30 pm
Monday, April 15, 2019
High Library Winter’s Alcove
In conjunction with the Wade Center’s “Masters of Modern Fantasy: C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien” poster exhibit in High Library on display during the month of April, Drs. David and Crystal Downing will co-present on their research into primary source materials of the British authors C. S. Lewis and Dorothy Sayers. David Downing will discuss how examining Lewis' hand-written notes revealed Lewis’ motive for composing his spiritual autobiography. Crystal Downing will talk about her work as a literary sleuth, discovering in the unpublished letters of detective novelist Dorothy Sayers, an interest in cinema that had previously been overlooked.
The Integrity of Work: C. S. Lewis and Dorothy Sayers
11 a.m. to noon
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Gibble Auditorium, Master Center
Marking the 12th anniversary of Scholarship and Creative Arts Days (SCAD) — the SCAD committee is pleased to announce that David and Crystal Downing will be our 2019 Keynote Speakers.
Dr. David Downing will address the "creative community" fostered by Lewis, Tolkien and friends, finding a dynamic blend of vocation and avocation in their writers circle, the Inklings. Dr. Crystal Downing will talk about Dorothy Sayers, a powerful influence on Lewis, whose classic book, The Mind of the Maker, explores the god-like nature of human creativity.
Crystal and David Downing
The Downings currently serve as Co-Directors of the Wade Center at Wheaton College and Co-Holders of the Marion E. Wade Chair of Christian Thought. Prior to joining the Wade Center, Crystal Downing was the Distinguished Professor of English and Film Studies at Messiah College. Her first book, Writing Performances: The Stages of Dorothy L. Sayers (Palgrave 2004), was granted the Barbara Reynolds Award for best Sayers scholarship in 2009 by the international Dorothy L. Sayers Society. David Downing makes his return visit to Elizabethtown College where he served as a Professor of English for 24 years. He has published four scholarly books on C. S. Lewis, serves as a consulting editor on Lewis for the Publications of the Modern Languages Association, and writes a blog on Lewis at cslewis.com.
