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Irmgarde Brown

I am a retired librarian/manager, a long-time blogger, a photographer, a playwright and director, an active volunteer in the Havre de Grace arts community, a friend to the Village of Hope, Zambia, a student in the Living School for Action and Contemplation, and a newly branded Episcopalian after forty years in the non-denominational church. I am a widow, the mother of three adoptees from Eastern Europe (now grown), and a grandmother of two. Sister Jane is my first published novel. And now, I am offering a companion novella to this book: Sister Jane's Lenten Journal.

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Sister Jane

All her life, Jane believes she is small-town ordinary. . . until she isn’t. Some people brand her a witch because of the cat while others believe she has a demon. Her family thinks she’s ready for the nursing home, and the down-and-out reporter assumes she’s a fake. But nobody, including Jane, can figure out how she does it: heal the sick. All the sick. All the time. Is it a gift of God? The Church is divided. Then, everything erupts when the foreigners arrive along with the government people and the scientists. Will Jane become a pawn or save herself?

The Path to Healing

by Irmgarde Brown

Certainly, Sister Jane (and its companion novella, Sister Jane’s Lenten Journal) examines healing in a variety of ways: physical, emotional, and spiritual. In the last several months, I have been struggling with another kind of pain that requires healing—organizational trauma.

Opposite of Faith is Not Doubt, but Certitude

by Irmgarde Brown

Other people have known this. I just heard it for the first time last week at my Symposium as part of the School for Action and Contemplation. And once I heard it, I knew I needed to ponder it. At the time, I assumed the phrase was original to Richard Rohr, but a quick Google search seems to give Anne Lamott the attribution, although she uses the term, "certainty." Same thing. Although Rohr's use of "certitude" has more flair. All good. I like Lamott too.

by Irmgarde Brown

I don’t remember when I became intrigued by the church calendar. Certainly not while I was active in Charismatic and Evangelical churches, where the only calendars celebrated were Christmas and Easter week. At my Methodist church, we acknowledged Advent with the lighting of candles on a huge wreath (3 purple and 1 pink) but they didn’t have much meaning for me. When my late husband and I adopted our children (aged 4 & 5), we had a variety of Advent calendars, one with tiny books that told the Christmas story and two others that involved daily chocolate. I don’t think I need to say which calendars were the most popular.

by Irmgarde Brown

It was a great day, December 15, 2021. Kirkus published their list of “Best of Books for 2021,” specifically for Indie authors (that can mean anything from self-published authors to Small Press authors – like me), and there was Sister Jane, front and center. Hurrah!

by Irmgarde Brown

So says little known Indian author, Pawan Mishra. But I’m thinking he has a point as I ponder my own style. Here’s the truth: when an idea drops into my mind, it pours out of me like water from a bucket. Let me explain...

Irmgarde Brown

Irmgarde Brown

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The Path to Healing

Opposite of Faith is Not Doubt, but Certitude

Why a Lenten Journal

Best of 2021 But It's 2022

Writing a Story is Like Going on a Date