Bill Wylie Kellermann – författare

Where the Water Goes Around is a biblical and political reading of Detroit over the course of three decades by an activist pastor.Detroit is a place where one can take the temperature of the world. Think on the rise of Fordism and auto-love, the Arsenal of Democracy, the practice of the sit-down strike, or the invention of the expressway and suburban mall. Consider more recently the rebellion of 1967, the deindustrialization of a union town, the assault on democracy in this black-majority city, the structural adjustments of municipal bankruptcy, and now a struggle for water as a human right. Bill Wylie-Kellermann tells the story of working out his "place-based vocation" with a simultaneous commitment to gospel nonviolence. He evokes the place Anishinabe peoples tread lightly the banks of Wawiatanong, "where the waters go round." One narrative thread walks a procession through the streets, a contemporary "stations of the cross," to the locations of crucifixion today. It names the occupying principalities and their outposts on the ground. Another tells the story of resurrection in struggle and human community. Herein are public disruptions, liturgical direct actions, and courtroom trials. In resistance and risk, this book proclaims gospel in context.

Daniel Berrigan (+2016+) is most notorious for dramatic anti-war actions at a Catonsville draft board and a Pennsylvania nuclear weapons plant in the '60s and '80s. Indeed, with friends, he was practically devising what's been called "e;liturgical direct action."e; Berrigan was also teacher, pastor, and friend to author Bill Wylie-Kellermann. Celebrant's Flame is a well-researched, but personal book, a debt of gratitude--in the end a tome of love to his mentor. Reflecting on aspects of Berrigan's person and work--from poet, prophet, prisoner, priest, and more, Wylie-Kellermann sketches this warm portrait of a figure whose impact on church and movement only deepens in the present moment. The book includes considerable material by Berrigan himself, some previously unpublished--a wedding homily, a long poem, a controversial speech, plus much in the way of personal letters, poetry, and memoir. Written with Berrigan's hundredth birthday in mind, these reflections help keep the flame of this beloved celebrant burning for the stunning new movement generation arising among us.