{"title":"Joel Mayward","description":"\u003cp\u003eJoel Mayward’s work delves into the rich intersections of music, identity, and cultural expression, offering readers profound insights into contemporary arts and culture. With a poetic voice and thoughtful analysis, his writing explores the nuances of creative lives and the impact of music on personal and collective experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect evocative storytelling that blends memoir with cultural critique, illuminating the ways in which art shapes and reflects our understanding of self and society. Mayward’s contributions stand out for their emotional depth and cultural relevance within the arts landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"sufjan-stevens-carrie-lowell-by-joel-mayward-9798765132760","title":"Sufjan Stevens' Carrie \u0026 Lowell","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUpon the release of Sufjan Stevens’ seventh studio album, \u003ci\u003eCarrie \u0026amp; Lowell\u003c\/i\u003e, two divergent groups found themselves as strange bedfellows: the LGBTQIA+ community and American evangelical Christians. Both were united in praise for Stevens’ beautifully melancholic music.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCritically acclaimed as one of the best albums of 2015, the elegiac and intimate record about the death of Sufjan’s estranged mother reflects the musician’s own paradoxical posture—\u003ci\u003eCarrie \u0026amp; Lowell\u003c\/i\u003e is both sacred \u003ci\u003eand\u003c\/i\u003e profane, Christian \u003ci\u003eand\u003c\/i\u003e queer, traditional \u003ci\u003eand\u003c\/i\u003e progressive, despairing \u003ci\u003eand\u003c\/i\u003e hopeful.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTheologian and cultural critic Joel Mayward considers \u003ci\u003eCarrie \u0026amp; Lowell\u003c\/i\u003e as a mystical metamodern \u003ci\u003ememento mori\u003c\/i\u003e, Sufjan’s symphonic (as opposed to systematic) approach to the questions of mortality, sexuality, and God. Fusing critical observations with personal narrative, Mayward examines the unique audience reception of \u003ci\u003eCarrie \u0026amp; Lowell\u003c\/i\u003e and the questions it raises: in a world of division, how might Stevens’ affecting music act as a bridge of love between seemingly irreconcilable communities?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs \u003ci\u003eCarrie \u0026amp; Lowell\u003c\/i\u003e reminds us of the painful truth that “we’re all gonna die,” perhaps it also offers a glimpse of transcendence and hope on this side of death.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47428160127212,"sku":"9798765132760","price":21.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9798765132760.jpg?v=1774767099"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/joel-mayward.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}