Becky Garrison
Becky Garrison is a satirist/storyteller whose most recent book is Roger Williams’s Little Book of Virtues (Wipf & Stock, March 2020). Also, she edited Love, Always: Partners of Trans People on Intimacy, Challenge and Resilience (Transgress Press, 2015). Her six books include 2006’s Red and Blue God, Black and Blue Church (PW, starred review).
Recent Posts by Becky
SxSW: Searching for Sayles
When I got an email announcing that my favorite film director, John Sayles, would be taping an interview at SXSW, I dropped my previous plans to catch him in action. Fortunately, he proved to be as gracious in person as he was back in 2008 when I interviewed him via phone for Honeydripper. His 18th film, Go…
Becky’s New Book!
Buddha-killer Becky Garrison‘s new e-book Roger Williams’ Little Book of Virtues is now available! Through Pentecost (that’s May 19th, folks!) you can download a free copy here by using code YQ46D.
SxSW: Big Joy
The documentary Big Joy: The Adventures of James Broughton highlights the poetry and films of gay poet, filmmaker, and spiritual visionary James Broughton, one of the defining artistic voices of the ’60s sexual revolution. His encouragement to “follow your own weird” echoed sentiments I heard from my late father. Unlike Broughton, who never lost his…
SxSW: More Signs of God
Here’s what I found during SXSW while strolling around Austin, Texas, a liberal oasis situated in the buckle of the Bible Belt.
SxSW: Quiet Company Speaks
After being turned on to the music of Quiet Company courtesy of Naked Pastor and catching their acoustic set with the Harvard Humanists, I finally caught them plugged in during two of their multiple SXSW appearances. Suffice to say, I was tempted to alter my travel plans so I could watch them electrify the crowd…
SxSW: Tell-A-Vision
South by Southwest (SXSW) Armed with a gold (film/interactive) press badge, Becky Garrison set out to explore the evolution of storytelling in this ever-evolving digital world. This week we’ll share some of her discoveries from her stay in Austin earlier this month. March 8, 2014 Signs of Spirituality from Chuck Lorre Pictures taken at WB…
Remembering Bill Hicks
On this day, twenty years after his untimely death, let us stop for a moment and reflect on the legacy of Bill Hicks, whose timeless smackdowns of Americana Christianity inspired me to begin penning my own religious satire. On February 26, 1994, he transcended this physical plane, leaving behind a comedic legacy cut way too…
Whitewashing Stonewall?
In assessing President Obama’s now-famous references to Seneca Falls, Selma, and Stonewall, the Rev. David Weekly, one of the few out trans UMC clergy persons, asked on his blog why once again the transgender community was not included in his remarks. After all, Vice President Biden declared transgender rights to be the civil rights issue…
Do Pro-Lifers Have a Prayer?
While the Templeton Foundation and other quasi-scientific-spiritual think tanks fund massive studies exploring the efficacy of prayer, we here at Killing the Buddha would like to offer a simpler and far cheaper method to ascertain if praying to God actually works. As we commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, let us…
The Not-So-Holy Trinity
For someone like me who covers Christian carnage for a living, Nick Pinto’s recent Village Voice article about the power grabs of current Trinity Church rector James Cooper, “More Money Than God,” sounded an all-too-familiar tune. Put just about any priest in charge of Trinity Church, a historic Episcopal Church in Lower Manhattan with a net…
The Day U.S. Evangelicalism Died
As reported in Religion Dispatches, on December 16th, 2012, U.S. evangelicalism uttered its last breath. On this day, Fox News pundit Mike Huckabee (a.k.a. Mr. “More Conversation, Less Confrontation”) joined forces with Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, and American Family Association’s Bryan Fischer to proclaim that the school massacre in Newtown,…
Syrian Refugees in Jordan
When I first traveled to Jordan in 2007 for ten days as part of a contingency of religion writers, I became aware of how Jordan became a place of welcome for refugees. Over 45 percent of Jordan’s population of 6,508,887 consists of people who have immigrated from another country. During the Iraq War, they extended their hospitality…
The Pilgrimage That Wasn’t
In reflecting on the images I captured during my two press trips to Jordan, one this fall, and one in 2007, a sharp contrast emerged. Five years ago, I traveled with a contingency of mostly Catholic and Anabaptist journalists to Jordan during the month of Ramadan. Then in September 2012, I returned to the Holy…
Finding Warhol’s Soul in Pittsburgh
To quote art writer John Richardson: “To believe the envious Truman Capote, Andy [Warhol] was a Sphinx without a secret. In fact, he did have a secret, one that the kept dark from all but his closest friends: he was exceedingly devout—so much so that he made daily visits to the church of Saint Vincent…
Inside Hadyn’s Head
During a press trip to Austria’s Burgenland region, we visited Eisenstadt, a town billed as Haydn’s Graceland. Being a non-disciple of Elvis, I’ve never possessed a desire to tour Graceland. But I can attest that both sites glitter with the ethos of their respective musical icons, be it in the sequined styles of Las Vegas…
Cheers, Saint Martin!
According to Catholic lore, St. Martin of Tours (316-397) tried to avoid his pending appointment as bishop by hiding in a stable full of geese. However, these birds made such a racket that the people found his location. Martin might have lost that game of duck-duck-goose, but he has secured his place in saintly history…
Thou Shalt Not Eat Thy Neighbor
In his new TV show “Mockingbird Lane,” director Bryan Fuller, known for “Pushing Daises,” offers a Munster-esque twist on the 10th Commandment: “Thou shalt not eat thy neighbor.” Check out the pilot on October 26th (NBC) to see if Eddie’s Twitterverse prediction @TheMasonCook “My Grandpa (@eddieizzard) is going to eat you” comes true.
From Iran With Love
The live-action film adaptation of Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel Chicken with Plums opens today in New York (showtimes here) and August 31st in LA. The film may be set in Tehran circa 1958, with flashbacks back to the 1930s and ahead to 1990. But the casting of French, Italian, and other European actors to portray Iranians,…