File 18 - Befriending life

18.6 cm of textual records

File is separated into nine file folders consisting of the following contents:

1. Correspondence between Maureen Wright, Beth Porter, legal counsel Monique Van Remortel and various contacts at Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group (Random House) regarding the publishing contract for Porter’s anthology Befriending Life. Included are drafts and suggested contract revisions, as well as correspondence regarding e-book and electronic version rights; cover art and photograph use; and the formatting and editing of the book. Also in the file are notes regarding a Timothy Jones book project.

2. Correspondence between Beth Porter and contributors to the anthology Befriending Life. Included are draft and final versions of invitations to potential contributors; chapter writing updates; correspondence regarding writing and photo contributions; lists of contributors; notes by Porter about the project and conversations with contributors; and editing comments and notes. Also in the file is correspondence between Sue Mosteller and Abbot John Eudes Bamburger regarding his January 29, 2000 lecture “Thomas Merton and Henry [sic] Nouwen: Living With God in Modern America”; an email from Mosteller to Michael Christensen regarding his symposium address at Corpus Christi Church; a news release from the Parish Church of St. Andrew, Taunton regarding Michael Ford’s Wounded Prophet; emails between Carl MacMillan and Laurent Nouwen regarding the publication of details about Nouwen’s sexuality; a core member consent form for Bill Van Buren; a contributor’s agreement for Bob Massie; and a copy of a personal letter from Art Laffin to Mosteller regarding the murder of his brother and his ill parents.

3. Correspondence between Beth Porter and Linda Gustafson from Counterpunch regarding a quote for the cover and text design of Befriending Life: Encounters with Henri Nouwen. Included in the file are printouts and photocopies of the design pitch, featuring a photo by Frank Hamilton, with notes on alternative subtitles.

4. Correspondence, primarily emails, between Beth Porter and the contributors and editors of the anthology Befriending Life. Included in the file is correspondence regarding sequencing, quote selection and photo use; exchanges regarding editing decisions made by Porter, Philip Coulter and Susan Brown; meeting agendas and notes; progress reports; contributor lists; edited contributor submissions; a blank copy of a Contributor’s Agreement; and biographical information about Henri Nouwen and some of the contributors.

5. Drafts of contributed chapters for Befriending Life, several containing handwritten editing notes and annotations. Also included is correspondence between Beth Porter and contributors to the volume regarding changes to the text and the clarification of ideas.

6. Correspondence between Beth Poter and various contacts, including Trace Murphy (Doubleday Publishing), Maureen Wright, Mary Lou Daquano, Bill Van Buren and Andrea and Andrew [Kennedy?], regarding the anthology Befriending Life. Included are handwriting samples from Henri Nouwen and Bill Van Buren for use in the book; project updates; correspondence regarding text and photograph use; and copies of the final cover proof. Also in the file is an invitation to the official opening of the Henri J.M. Nouwen Archives and Research Collection and a copy of an October 19, 2000 article about the Nouwen Archives by Genevieve Handler titled “Works for Father Henri Nouwen to be Compiled in One Archive”.

7. Correspondence and notes regarding the photographs used in Befriending Life. Included are photo descriptions and associated and captions; reference photocopies of photographs; and sample pages from the book.

8. Correspondence and notes regarding the submission of Beth Porter’s anthology Befriending Life to potential publishers for publication. Included are samples of submission guidelines; correspondence to publishers regarding the manuscript; information about the book and the intended audience; correspondence regarding usage permissions; information about photos used in the book; and a chronology of Nouwen’s publications.

9. Promotional material regarding the premiere of the film Straight to the Heart: The Life of Henri Nouwen; a copy of a news item about a Nouwen commemoration event; and a National Catholic Reporter book review of Beth Poter’s anthology Befriending Life by Robert Durback.

Files 1-6 are restricted.

See former file number 97-36 for more information regarding the Timothy Jones book project.
A card from Fred Rogers declining the offer to participate due to being unable to meet the deadline appears in the file.

Revised by T Wong, 17 March 2021