Bob Hudson and his wife, Shelley Townsend Hudson, both literary enthusiasts and authors, have witnessed the value of the Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin during the past 25 years. That experience, in part, led to their generous donation to help establish the Calvin College Center for Faith and Writing.

The new center’s mission is to celebrate a Reformed engagement with the written word, championing faithful and intelligent conversation about the intersections of religious belief and literature. The new center aims to carry forth that mission through ensuring the long-term sustainability of the Festival of Faith and Writing as well as pursuing some new initiatives.

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At the heart of the Hudsons’ decision to make the substantial investment in the new center was a desire to spur on the next generation of writers. As Bob Hudson puts it, “I want to encourage frustrated writers, like myself, to take their writing to the next level.”

Jennifer Holberg and Jane Zwart, both English professors at Calvin, have been named co-directors of the new Center for Faith and Writing. Like Hudson, they prize the chance to equip and encourage other writers.