by Brandi Willis Schreiber
The Orthodox Church's reverence for Mary the Mother of God can be a stumbling block for converts, and a fulfilling relationship with her can prove elusive for converts and lifelong Orthodox Christians alike. In this deeply personal but beautifully universal memoir, Brandi Willis Schreiber relates her own quest to know and love the Virgin Mary and to incorporate her as a vital participant in her spiritual life. Brandi's sparkling, vulnerable account invites the reader to join her in this quest.
About the Author: Brandi Willis Schreiber is a published author of poetry, nonfiction, and award-winning fiction. A longtime native of West Texas, she writes between two horizons, where the visible expanse of the Texas plains and the invisible expanse of the human heart and faith meet. A convert to Orthodoxy, she holds an M.A. in English with an emphasis in creative writing and poetry and a B.A. in English Language and Literature, both from Texas Tech University. This is her first full-length book of creative nonfiction.
Praise for A Long Walk with Mary
"For some of us, love of the Theotokos comes easily; but for some of us (like Brandi Schreiber and myself) it's a slow, uncertain process. This beautifully-written book describes what it's like to begin to trust her, and bring her our most heartfelt needs. We then find that, just as Jesus said, she is now the Mother of us all." -Frederica Mathewes-Green
"Brandi Willis Schreiber's delicate prose invites the reader into the beautiful, everyday interactions and experiences in which, when one listens prayerfully, God and His Saints whisper to us." -Elissa Bjeletich, author of Tending the Garden of Our Hearts
"In this earthy and evocative spiritual memoir, Brandi Willis Schreiber traces the deepening of her relationship with St. Mary, the Theotokos. Through the stories of her relationships - with the nurturing earth, the parents who gave her birth, maternal strangers, and the growing child who is to make the writer herself a mother - Brandi follows a path into the heart of the Mother of God. As she hikes, drives, reads, reflects and prays her way closer in, she brings us along with her, inviting us to make Mary more our Mother, too. This book - enchanting and tender, readable and relatable - will be balm to those beginning their own search for the Theotokos." -Laura S. Jansson, author of Fertile Ground: A Pilgrimage Through Pregnancy
