Author Spotlight: Kyle L. White

Many moons ago, when we lived in DeKalb, Illinois, we attended the Evangelical-Free Church. I will never forget one memorable service when the then-youth pastor, Kyle L. White, delivered the sermon after witnessing the birth of his firstborn that morning. We were new parents as well, and ripe for his reflections. I have long wished for a transcript of that sermon. It was profound, and delivered with awe and reverence.

A few years later, I started a small writer's group at the church. I needed accountability to complete my Institute of Children's Literature course. I had hit an impasse in my final assignment of 3 chapters of a novel. Thus, began a wonderful stint of cameraderie and encouragement in the best writing group I've attended. We shared our work monthly, and even joined up to attend the annual Write-to-Publish Conference in nearby Wheaton, IL. Oh, the laughter during those hour-long commutes to the conference! Meeting Kyle through his sermons was impressive. But discovering his writing was equally so.

Kyle is an author/illustrator/storyteller. I think of him as a modern contemplative writer. His literary and artistic works have been published by Prism Magazine, Zondervan Publishing, Windy City Sports, and Door Peninsula Voice. He has written eight books, some of which include: Wisconsin River of Grace (2009), Neighbor As Yourself (2016), Haiti! Up! (2018), Bear. With Me {A Field Journal} (2019), and Freezing, Thawing: New & Revised Stories From the Midwest (2020). 

Several of these are available through his Amazon author page. He served as the 2022 Artist-in-Residence at the Sycamore Public Library and has had his books featured on Northern Public Radio. When not drawing or writing, he actively presents workshops on art, writing, and storytelling. Kyle graciously agreed to answer my questions to highlight his writings on my blog.

Q1: I scribbled stories as a young child and wrote poetry in my teens. Yet, I didn't really consider myself a writer until I completed my first National Novel Writing Month 50,000 word challenge. When did you first think of yourself as a writer?

Kyle: I think I’ve always thought of myself as a “creative”, since I was a kid. I don’t know if we still use “creative” as a noun. But writer, specifically? In junior high and high school I experienced the most academic success and encouragement in the areas of writing and journalism, so I think I must have identified as a “writer” to some degree. But, post-college, writing became a guilty pleasure or hobby. When I found myself underemployed in the early 2000s, tho’, I started freelance illustrating and writing–it’s then that I felt like “writer”. But also at that very same time, the two of us became part of that writers’ group at our church. Thank you, because that community and rhythm did the most to restore or establish my identity as writer. Because of that group I found more of my voice, began writing the things that were unique to me, started publishing essays, and then from those I published my first book. I wonder if your identity, Wendy, as a writer, was helped along at all by being involved in the NaNoWriMo community, and not only the completion of the task… ?

Q2: I'm sure you're right, Kyle, although there wasn't as much community in that as in our group. I never really had others cheering me on from the sidelines. Even my kids often teased about all that effort just to secure a Nanowrimo certificate. But, I think that was when I began leaning more into novel-writing (writing Christian YA at the start, a tough sell). And I felt I really was accomplishing something significant. For years, that was my chosen focus, until it shifted more toward non-fiction. What kind of writing do you prefer?

Kyle: I used to write these longer essays, to kind of justify my existence: how much “clever” can I pack in here? But when I began reading my writing in front of audiences, I got tired of hearing myself talk! So, I began simplifying and reducing. Like shifting from sermons to homilies. It felt more conversational with, and kind to, audiences. Short, humorous, reflective pieces, typically. I’m motivated by writers like E.B. White (his editorials), Louis Jenkins (prose poems), and Frederick Buechner (his creative non-fiction, in particular). I also pretend to write poetry once in a while. I want to leave space on the page for the reader to think.

Q3: Your writing has universality and depth. I'm impressed with how you take something that has inherent humor and then, suddenly, that humor drives a deep, spiritual insight. It is as if you think in metaphor. For example, in your book, Neighbor As Yourself, you have a piece about catching and releasing a fish. On the surface, it seems to be a sketch about the challenge of removing a hook from a large, shaking bass. Yet, eventually, the reader is contemplating emotional wounds and Christ's finger both poking and healing them. Do you keep a notebook of images and develop the metaphors later, or are you capturing both the insignificant and the significant simultaneously while it is happening? Tell us a bit about your writing process.

Kyle: Your questions are beautifully written and so encouraging–they make me want to finish some projects! As a kid, some of my earliest memories are of being in bed at night, looking out the window and wondering what’s behind that curtain of stars? I do feel as tho’ I’m always looking through a thing to the bigger story on the other side of it. Maybe that’s every writer? Louis Jenkins, one of my favorite poets, has this piece about retiring from his poetry business. In the closing line he says, maybe he’ll: “Take up golf. Spend more time with the family. Maybe I’ll just walk around and look at things with absolutely no compulsion to say anything at all about them.” I love it. My writing process is sporadic, but I am consistent with keeping a net out for metaphor. A sketchbook, or notebook, being my net. Most every day, in my notebook, I’m playing with some drawing, or bit of words.

Q4: I'm a big fan of your essay, "Circus World Museum," as it emphasizes the role of the church in this sin-sick world. It is one of my favorites. But then, I also love the lighthearted "To Whom it May Concern" (a job recommendation for Autumn) and "Funeral for Summer." There's also the "Quotidian Meeting of Insomnia Committee." Do you have any favorites from your writings?

Kyle: Thank you. I haven’t read those for awhile and I need to go back and take a look. One piece of mine that I am consistently satisfied with, and that I like reading to audiences, is “Wendell Planted a Tree for Me.” It’s from Freezing, Thawing: New & Revised Stories from the Midwest (2020). I like it ‘cause it has the elements that I’m most always digging for in my pieces: humor, community, mortality, God. There’s also a piece called “Geeses” from my upcoming book. It surprised me the way it came out fully formed, like it had been brewing underneath.

Q5: I'm always curious about the preliminaries various writers prefer. Like Dickens, I walk before I sit down to work on a novel. It prompts the creative juices and allows time to simmer in ideas and characters. However, I haven't worked on a novel in a long time, and the weather tends to foil my outdoor walking. Do you have specific locations for writing or tools of the trade? Do you begin each session with walking or with prayer?

Kyle: Yes, walking is thinking and that leads to writing for me. Any time I am afforded space to think–vacations, solo road trips, morning coffee–that leads to writing. Being in Wisconsin, my homeland, inspires me to write. I don’t necessarily pray before writing– I would say that the act of writing is prayer in my experience.

Q6: I love that! Yes, oftentimes writing is prayer. Several of your essays focus on writing. I'm thinking of "Hunting for Words" (an apt comparison), "The Muse," and "Postcards from the Edge of the Bluff." In that last essay, you say, "Why write? To love and to be loved. I write because 'I wish you were here.' The 'here' being inside my head. A scary thought? But my writing self is probably my truest self. I write to know and to be known. I write to send a postcard." Have you ever wanted to abandon writing or have you ever experienced a dry spell that lingered? What would be your recommendation for a writer in that liminal space, when the muse is silent and showing up is hard?

Kyle: Thoughts of abandonment come more when I’m trying to figure out how to reach a larger audience with my creative work. It’s such a social media game and can leave lots of artists lamenting, “What’s the point?” But in terms of writer’s block, the problem is more my inconsistency in taking time for writing. When I do need inspiration, walking helps to jog things loose, like you mentioned. And reading poetry–Louis Jenkins, Wendell Berry, Billy Collins–makes me want to play with words. Joni Mitchell, supposedly said: “Unlike some of my peers, I haven’t really hit a writer’s block. When I hit a block I just paint, which is an old crop rotation trick.” Sketching and drawing help stir up my writing, too.

Q7: Yes, you are not only a writer, but also an illustrator. I have one of your lovely prints on my wall to remind me to press on in my writing goals, stewarding whatever gifts God has given. That print, and other unique, contemplative art prints can be purchased from your art website (link here). What is your favorite thing about the intersection of your writing and your art? Do you sketch daily, or when you have something in mind? 

Kyle: All of my creative spark started with comics. Then, in high school and college, I was the schools’ newspaper cartoonist. So, my art interests mostly have to do with: How do I marry image with text, in small spaces, in the most meaningful way? I draw daily and think it’s the best way for me to pay attention in the world;  I often facilitate classes on “sketchbook as practice,” and on field journaling.

Q8: For the past few years, I've enjoyed receiving your newsletters. You invite interaction. You generate thoughts about creativity and art. If any reader would like to sign up for your newsletter, where can they do so?

Kyle: Thank you! People can find all my points of contact here: https://linktr.ee/kylewhiteink

Q9: What is your favorite method of getting your work out to readers and listeners?

Kyle: Favorite and effective are two different things apparently! The typical routes: Instagram; newsletter; etc. I also do readings on our local NPR station–they have a segment called “Perspectives” where locals can share opinions and thoughts on most-any topic. And I have had “story nights” which are interactive readings. I think those story nights are my favorite and most effective avenues.

Q10: Do you have a work-in-progress right now?

Kyle: I have a new book that released on 4/26/26 called Just Out There Somewhere: Thoughts About Moving On. Thanks for these wonderful questions, Wendy. And thanks for being such an advocate for writers.

If you'd like to sample/listen to one of Kyle's NPR Perspective pieces, you can click here. This humorous 90-second listen is called, "About That Book You Borrowed." I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce others to Kyle White's writing, art, and storytelling. Check out his work. You'll be glad you did! Now, I'm off to request Kyle's new book as a Mother's Day/birthday gift. Then, I'll check to see if Kyle lent me a book I've failed to return. Ha!

Book Review: The Bookshop of Hidden Dreams

I had never heard of this author, and now I cannot remember where I picked up the recommendation. Was The Bookshop of Hidden Dreams offered on Book Bub? I may have been a less-than-motivated reader, so I don't count this against the book, but it didn't enthrall me. With "bookshop" in the title, you assume it will focus a lot on books. Book mentions were minimal. It takes place in a bookshop in the small town of Dove Pond.

Tay Dove is one of seven sisters. Supposedly, whenever seven sisters are born in the Dove family, those women are endowed with magical powers. Tay possesses the unique power (helpful, as she is a historian) to see the scene of writing when she places her hands on handwritten notes and letters. Of course, this comes in handy when you're trying to solve a mystery from the past with primary source documents. When the sisters uncover a tin of love letters, they beg Tay to pick up the trail and solve the mystery of their relative, Sarafina Dove, and her suitor, an alleged train robber, William Day. Rose Day, owner of the town bookshop, offers her grandson's assistance, in hopes that romance may blossom.

You have all the standard details of a mystery: suspicious characters, lost money or treasure, secret codes, and families hoping to learn more about distant relatives. It was an easy read. I just wish it had sucked me in more. Again, my indifference might have stemmed from a reading malaise. When life's circumstances heat up, my mind is more on current issues than on pages passing. I appreciated it as a clean read though (especially as I've turned aside 3 others for content I couldn't get behind). Plus, it receives many 4 and 5 star ratings on Amazon, so others are clearly enticed.

Book Review: Reports of His Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

The title of this novel comes from a passage in Mark Twain's story where Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn are presumed dead. So begins James Goodhand's colorful book, Reports of His Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated. Ray "Spike" Thorns spent years working as a caretaker on the grounds of a posh boarding school. Now, he spends his days visiting re-sale shops, picking through trash, and trying to bring life to things that have been tossed aside. This is an apt image for the book, as a whole. Then, Ray's neighbor comes over to warm up because his heat is off. Ray offers him a warm bath while he heads off to pick up some Chinese takeaway, never thinking for a moment the man might experience a medical emergency. When paramedics cart off the dying man, they mistakenly assume it is Ray. It takes some time for Ray to set things right. In that time, we learn Ray's life story and we root him on in his efforts to deal with unexpected and complicated difficulties.

As a writer, I'm always on the hunt for excellent writing. Sometimes I will even read books with cautionary content. Listening to this 2026 Audi Awards Finalist was a delight. The book hooked me with its premise and held me with its promise, in spite of activities and worldviews I don't sanction. Ray is a likeable, if sad, character. He's not convinced his life has held much meaning. Sure, he can repair things, but is that enough? I'm so glad I didn't set this book aside, but plowed through anyway. The payoff was well worth enduring unsavory things.

We all wish to feel like we matter. We crave purpose and fulfillment in our lives. Too often, we underestimate the impact we've made. This is a beautiful book about a man who is mistaken for dead, only to realize that he's forgotten to truly live. His journey to correct the error is a delight! It is a poignant tale of life-shaping losses, enduring influences, and second chances. If only we could all get a glimpse of the way our lives have touched others. It would certainly keep us going. This is a book that sticks with you.

📒 - Content Caution

Book Review: The Anxious Generation

A friend recommended The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. It is quite popular, at #17 on Amazon charts. If only this important book had come out when I was still stumbling through new parenting territory with my sons. "Hindsight is 20/20," as they say. If only we knew then, what we know now. In ignorance, we launched into a technological world with ramifications we couldn't possibly foresee. This is a sobering look at why our young people are riddled with anxiety. Some of the author's recommendations are, indeed, being fleshed out in our society. Schools are trying to become phone-free zones. Sadly, the changes will not come swiftly enough and my own children are saddled with my unintentional mistakes.

Jonathan Haidt intended to write a book on how social media disrupts society. After finishing the first chapter, he realized the thrust of the book needed to focus on how childhood has been disrupted by a phone-based existence. While I don't agree with this author's atheistic worldview, his arguments ring true. It is horrifying. Toward the end of the book, he writes a paragraph that helped me understand why we failed to see the dangers. He writes:

"The diffusion of digital technology into children's lives has been like smoke pouring into our homes. We all see that something strange is happening, but we don't understand it. We fear that the smoke is having bad effects on our children, but when we look around, nobody is doing much about it."

This is true. I looked to those around me when I considered what to allow or disallow in my home. I gave in to the pressure of, "Every other kid has a phone, Mom." If I had it to do over, with the wisdom from this book, I would have emphasized real-world experiences and relationships, limited freedom on their phones, and talked them through the new conundrums they faced with technology.

I loved the summaries at the end of each chapter. They made it easier to digest and retain the mass of information gleaned in these pages. The key problem for children born after 1995 (as all my sons were) is that they were overprotected in the real world and underprotected in the virtual world. Haidt identifies four harms of phone-based childhood: sleep deprivation, social deprivation, attention fragmentation, and addiction.

I recently saw news of new "tin-can" phones that parents are giving their children. Other parents are giving their kids landlines. These phones are stripped of the dangerous social media exposure and instant information overload. Our children need physical play and social interaction to learn how to navigate relationships. The digital world has altered all of our relationships. Thus, the takeaway from this book extends beyond how the phone influenced the maturation of our children. It highlights how different our world is today from that in which we were raised. After reading this book, I'm not only regretting my past parenting mistakes, but I'm also wanting to join Carlos Whittaker and unplug more for myself. It is a difficult balance. Writers are encouraged to be available and involved online. Yet, there is a cost. Do I really want to pay that cost any more? This whole subject will fill my thoughts for many days to come.

Book Review: Declutter Your Heart and Your Home

Declutter Your Heart and Your Home: How a Minimalist Life Yields Maximum Joy, by Julia Ubbenga, is a Christian guide to purging unhelpful baggage. Ubbenga writes a minimalism blog called Rich in What Matters, where she encourages readers to seek less stuff to make way for more meaning. If you've read my blog for any time, you know my goal of purging the extra accumulation from years of parenting and, to be honest, hoarding. Now, I don't live with piles of paper and belongings strewn everywhere. I'm not that kind of hoarder, but I can admit I own more things than I'd like to be keeping. My husband has said we need to kick this process into high gear. I'm a deer in the headlights. I hoped this book would jump-start that purging mojo again. One reviewer on Amazon called this book a "game-changer." Alas, I feel more daunted than ever.

Declutter Your Heart and Your Home is chock full of quotes from many minimalists (minimalism IS in vogue). It focuses on spiritual goals for minimalism. It promises the path to peace is purging. I already feel bad about my stuff. Now, I feel guilty, as well. As if I'm being told that my focus is clearly on the wrong things and I need to shift my agenda away from stuff and toward the Lord. I think my heart is already more focused on the Lord, in spite of the stuff I battle. I'd rather praise my way to peace. Purging leaves me drained and discouraged. I'm sure this book is helpful to many Christians who want to break free from bondage to things. I guess, I just don't see myself battling bondage in that camp.

For example, one statistic declared the average household monthly spending on clothing is $160. This number blew me away. Seriously? People are spending that much or more on clothes? I'm a no-frills kind of gal. I'm not concerned with comparing my wardrobe to anyone else's. My main goal is always comfort, not style. Many of my clothes have been in my wardrobe for decades.

Then came another shock to my system. Ubbenga offers this suggestion for what your wardrobe could look like. I did not list jewelry and such, just not my thing. She recommends 4 pairs of shoes, 2 bags, 2 coats/jackets, 2 dresses or skirts, 3 pairs of pants, and 10 tops. I cannot even fathom that. She must do laundry every day. She suggests paring down your kids' clothes to what would fit in a suitcase. This is minimalism on steroids. While I would so like to live with less stuff, I don't think I'm ready to pare down to 3 pairs of pants!

Toward the end of the book, the story of her journey to minimalism winds down. Her life is so much better. Her focus on the Lord is uninterrupted. She said she downsized 75% of their possessions. What is really scary is that when we move from this house (where we have lived for almost 2 decades), we probably DO need to purge 75% of our possessions. How? I can read about it all I want, but that doesn't help make it happen. Perhaps I need to tell myself I only have years to live and that might motivate me to "relinquish the past," as she recommends. Can I tell those sentimental books, letters, and photos they are "no longer welcome?" After reading this book, I'm thinking I'm a hopeless case. 

Mid-month Mention: Another Scavenger Hunt

Lately, I've been encountering new Christian authors through promotional activities. Last month I shared an opportunity for a Christian author scavenger hunt including almost 30 authors. I subscribed to a handful of author newsletters, including one for Jaime Jo Wright. Wright has joined another new-to-me author to create their own small scavenger hunt as introduction to their newest books.

Jaime Jo Wright's newest release is The Bookshop of 99 Doors. It is a Christian dual-timeline mystery set in a Pennsylvania mansion with Civil War secrets. Like Wright's other books, it is atmospheric and suspenseful. Melanie Dobson's The Lost Story of Via Belle is also a dual-timeline historical mystery. It, too, takes place in Pennsylvania. A present-day screenwriter investigates the 1940s disappearance of a romance novelist. I am eager to read both of these novels and then pass on recommendations to my cousin, Karin, who lives in Pennsylvania.

If you want to participate in this smaller scavenger hunt visit this Storydoors website. You will find two portals into photos associated with the novels. Each book showcases four rooms to explore. Some of the images, when clicked on, will send you to informational sites tied to these stories. In each room, there is a hidden clue to copy down. Once you find the 8 hidden clues, you can enter the completed sentences to enter the giveaway (15 Christian fiction titles), which ends on April 29, 2026. There is also an invitation to join a Zoom call with the authors, held on April 30th, to learn more about these stories. The winner will be announced during that Zoom call.

I joined in the fun. A few of the sites held information about author Grace Livingston Hill. My paternal grandmother had numerous Grace Livingston Hill books on her shelves in her upstairs rooms (where my sister and I stayed during visits). I can remember passing time in those novels, although I did not recognize any titles I may have read, since it was years ago (almost half a century). Even if I don't win the scavenger hunt, it was interesting to visit these sites and learn more about these books.

Book Review: The Battle of the Bookshops

Since I enjoyed Poppy Alexander's The Littlest Library, I checked out her newest book, The Battle of the Bookshops. It is clearly meant to be a modern retelling loosely mixing Romeo and Juliet with You've Got Mail. The names are ridiculously similar. Jules Capelthorne helps her aging great-aunt run a tiny bookstore in Portneath. It is the only bookstore in the tiny seaside town and is approaching its hundredth birthday. Enter the dashing young man from a feuding family, Roman Montbeau. Of course, he opens a flashy, new bookstore across the street. Unlike You've Got Mail, the rivalry is right out in the open, but like Romeo and Juliet, the two cannot keep themselves apart, despite family animosity.

The book was predictable, and yet, somewhat delightful. If you need something easy to read and are seeking romance, this book hits both boxes. I wasn't so absorbed that I read it in one sitting, but it only took a few days. It would make a quick beach read. I think The Littlest Library is still my favorite from this author.