Hope for the Lonely

We are more connected now than ever before, but most of us still struggle with feelings of loneliness and isolation. Hope for the Lonely host Charlotte Donlon believes loneliness loses some of its power when we bring it into the light, so she writes and talks about different angles of loneliness and belonging and how they intersect with the Christian faith. The more curious she’s become about her loneliness, the less severe it seems. So, she welcomes you to inhabit a posture of curiosity as she explores various aspects of loneliness and belonging in the Hope for the Lonely podcast. Charlotte Donlon is a writer, a spiritual director for writers, and the founder and host of the Our Faith in Writing podcast and website. She also hosts A Writer’s Diary, a daily podcast about writing and the writing life. Charlotte’s writing and work are rooted in noticing how art helps us belong to ourselves, others, God, and the world. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Curator, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Catapult, The Millions, Mockingbird, and elsewhere. Her first book is The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other. You can subscribe to her newsletter at charlottedonlon.substack.com and connect with her on Twitter and Instagram at @charlottedonlon. You can learn more about Charlotte and her writing and work at charlottedonlon.com

In this episode, Charlotte reads an essay she wrote about how the church years helps her feel less alone.

As we engage more deeply with the ancient streams of art and faith, how they inform one another, and how all of this can create profound new possibilities for belonging, we need ways to respond.

Through her work as a spiritual director for writers, artists, and those all along the belief-and-unbelief spectrum, Charlotte Donlon explores how belonging intersects with the contemplative life.

This essay was originally published in Christianity Today in 2019. This audio essay is also going to be live on Charlotte’s Our Faith in Writing podcast.

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Charlotte Donlon helps readers and clients notice how they belong to themselves, others, God, and the world. Charlotte is a writer, a spiritual director for writers, the Church Street Coffee & Books Writer-in-Residence, and the founder and host of the Our Faith in Writing podcast and website. She’s also the host for the Hope for the Lonely and A Writer’s Diary podcasts. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Curator, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Catapult, The Millions, Mockingbird, and elsewhere. Her first book is The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other. You can subscribe to her newsletter and connect with her on Twitter and Instagram.