Biography

Frederica Mathewes-Green

Baltimore, MD
Frederica.com | Email
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Summary

(for bullet point details, scroll down) 

Frederica Mathewes-Green is a wide-ranging author, whose work has appeared in such diverse publications as the Washington Post, Christianity Today, Smithsonian, the Los Angeles Times, First Things, Books & Culture, Sojourners, Touchstone, and the Wall Street Journal. She writes regularly for the multifaith web magazine Beliefnet.com, and writes movie reviews for National Review Online and Christianity Today Movies. 

 She has published 9 books, including Facing East: A Pilgrim’s Journey into the Mysteries of Orthodoxy (HarperCollins, 1997) and The Illumined Heart: The Ancient Christian Path of Transformation (Paraclete, 2001). In the past, her commentaries have been heard on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and Morning Edition. Her essays were selected for Best Christian Writing in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006, and Best Spiritual Writing in 1998 and 2007. She has published over 600 articles.

She has also appeared as a speaker over 400 times, at places like Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Wellesley, Cornell, Calvin, Baylor, and Westmont; at the Smithsonian Institute, the Aspen Institute, Washington National Cathedral, the Los Angeles Times Book Festival, the American Academy of Religion, the Veritas Forum, the Family Research Council, and the National Right to Life Committee.

She has been interviewed on PrimeTime Live, the Diane Rehm Show, the 700 Club, PBS, CNN, NBC, Fox News, and by Time, Newsweek, the New Republic, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the New York Times.

She lives with her husband, the Rev. Gregory Mathewes-Green, in Baltimore, MD, where he is pastor and she is “Khouria” (“Mother”) of the parish they founded, Holy Cross Orthodox Church. Their three children are grown and married, and they have 10 grandchildren. Since 1997, Frederica has been recording books for the blind with the Radio Reading Network of Maryland.

Details 

Current

• National Review Online, movie reviews and cultural commentary
• Christianity Today Movies, movie reviews
• Christianity Today, Contributing Editor
• National Public Radio, occasional commentator (“Morning Edition”)
• Contributor: First Things, Christianity Today, Touchstone, Books & Culture, others

Books

(Note to hosts of speaking events: I am happy to include a booksigning in my visit. Please order books directly from the publisher and keep all profits.)

Want an autographed copy? Order from Holy Cross Church’s bookstore.

From HarperSanFrancisco; Orders, 1-800-242-7737

• Facing East: A Pilgrim’s Journey into the Mysteries of Orthodoxy (hb 1997, pb 2006)

From Paraclete Press; Orders, 1-800-451-5006

• The Jesus Prayer: The Ancient Desert Prayer that Tunes the Heart to God (2009)
• The Lost Gospel of Mary: The Mother of Jesus in Three Ancient Texts (2007)
• First Fruits of Prayer: A Forty-Day Journey through the Canon of St. Andrew (2006)
• The Open Door: Entering the Sanctuary of Icons and Prayer (2003)
• The Illumined Heart: The Ancient Christian Path of Transformation (2001)
• A Companion Guide to ‘The Illumined Heart’ (with Robert Gibson, 2006)

From Conciliar Press; Orders, 1-800-967-7377

• At the Corner of East and Now: A Modern Life in Ancient Christian Orthodoxy (1999)
• Gender: Men, Women, Sex, Feminism (2002)

• Real Choices: Listening to Women, Looking for Alternatives to Abortion (1997)

Awards

• Best American Spiritual Writing, 2007, Houghton Mifflin
• Best Christian Writing 2006, Jossey-Bass
• Best Regular Column: Culture, the Arts, and Leisure, Catholic Press Association, 2004
• Best Christian Writing 2004, Jossey-Bass
• Best Christian Writing 2002, HarperSanFrancisco
• Books for a Better Life finalist, 2000
• Best Christian Writing 2000, HarperSanFrancisco
• Best Spiritual Writing 1998, HarperSanFrancisco
• Christian Women Role Models (1998), Ecumenical Coalition on Women and Society

Writing published by

• Smithsonian, National Review, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, MSNBC website, Utne Reader, Policy Review, The World & I, Parenting, Books & Culture, The Congressional Record, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, First Things, Crisis, National Catholic Reporter, National Catholic Register, Catholic Digest, Sojourners, re:generation quarterly, others

Advisory and Editorial Boards

• Books & Culture, Christianity Today, Kairos Journal, Touchstone, Orthodox Peace Fellowship, The Susan B. Anthony List, Council on Faith and International Affairs, Institute on Religion and Democracy, Torrey Honors Institute of Biola University, Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, Hill Country Institute for Contemporary Christianity, Common Ground Network for Life & Choice, Ecumenical Coalition for Women and Society, Center for Faith and Culture, Americans United for Life, others

TV and Radio Appearances

• PrimeTime Live (ABC), Religion & Ethics Newsweekly (PBS), CNN, C-SPAN, MSNBC, NBC News, ABC News, Fox News, The 700 Club, the Hallmark Channel, others
• National Public Radio, Monitor, Pacifica, Voice of America, Family News in Focus, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Diane Rehm, Come Receive the Light, Ancient Faith Radio, Marlin Maddoux, D. James Kennedy, Armstrong Williams, Janet Parshall, Dick Staub, Jody Bottum, others

Interviewed by

• New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Time, US News & World Report, Newsweek, Chicago Tribune, Brill’s Content, The New Republic, USA Today, Self, National Journal, National Review, Congressional Quarterly, Christian Science Monitor, Boston Herald, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, others

Speaking engagements

• Colleges

  Yale, Yale Divinity, Harvard, Princeton, Wellesley, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Georgetown, Brown, Oxford, William & Mary, Middlebury, Reed, George Washington, Univ Penn, Fordham, Virginia Tech, Columbia, Grinnell, Calvin, Baylor, Westmont, Asbury Seminary, Grove City, Biola, Coalition of Christian Colleges and Universities, Veritas Forum events, others

• Organizations

  Washington National Cathedral, Los Angeles Times Book Festival, Smithsonian Institution, Aspen Institute, Chautauqua Institution, American Academy of Religion, Focus on the Family, Pro-Life Assoc of Gays and Lesbians, Milton Center Writers’ Workshop, Ivy League Coalition for Life, Family Research Council, Cornerstone Festival, Orlando Museum of Art, Rock for Life, Thomas Merton Foundation, National Right to Life Committee, CareNet, Christian Legal Society, Heartbeat, Evangelical Press Association, Inst for Religion and Democracy, Call To Renewal, Acton Institute, others

Earlier work

• National Public Radio, commentator (“All Things Considered”)
• Our Sunday Visitor, movie reviews
• Today’s Christian, “Everyday Theology” column
• Los Angeles Times, book reviews
• Christianity Today, columnist
• Big Idea, Inc. (“Veggie Tales”), consultant
• Odyssey [now Hallmark] Television Network, commentator (“News Odyssey”)
• Religion News Service, columnist
• The Christian Millennial History Project, contributing author
• World magazine, national correspondent, columnist
• Feminists for Life of America, vice-president for communications, editor Sisterlife journal

Personal

I grew up in Charleston, S.C. and received a BA in English from the University of South Carolina (1974) and a MA in Theological Studies from Virginia Episcopal Seminary (1977). I was a certified childbirth educator from 1979-1988 and was present at many births and homebirths. In 1989 I began doing public speaking and writing for publication.

My husband is Father Gregory Mathewes-Green, who is the founding pastor of Holy Cross Orthodox Church near Baltimore. As priest he is the Father, and I am the “Khouria,” or “Mother,” of our parish. My husband was Mathewes and I was Green, and we married in 1974. Our three children are all married and we have ten grandchildren. I record books as a volunteer with the Radio Reading Network for the Blind.