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Beth Waltemath

  • About
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • Essays & Events
  • Digital Media
  • Writing Coach
  • Spiritual Direction
  • Rituals
A painting of a fallen angel with a burning and polluted city in the background

“I have witnessed the fragility of life too closely and too often to believe in a ‘reason for everything.’ But how can I forget the themes I’ve learned from trauma: disappointment and readjustment, joy in the midst of grief, and the strange way that suffering can make our eyes more open and our hearts bigger than before?”

“Bye Bye Baby: A Mother Considers the Hard-Earned Lessons of the NICU”
-Beth Waltemath

Artwork: “Fallen Angel” by Patricia Watwood, All images used with permission

Beth Waltemath is a writer, an editor, a teacher, a pastor and a spiritual director.

She has interviewed best-selling authors in person and in print including Barbara Brown Taylor, Margaret Renkl, Mary Laura Philpott, Jennifer Pastiloff, Glennon Doyle, Scott Stossel, Andrew Solomon and Chelsea Clinton among others.

She has taught at Columbia Theological Seminary and Candler School of Theology and served as editor in 2016 of ONScripture.com, a weekly resource for preachers and scholars which paired biblical insight with current events and documentary film. She serves on the program council of the Decatur Book Festival, where she curates the spirituality and religion track. Her written work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, chapter16.org, The Nashville Scene, Knoxville News Sentinel, and Memphis Commercial Appeal. She has a Masters Certificate in Writing and Digital Communications from Agnes Scott College, a Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York City and has worked on the editorial side of publishing at Random House and Hearst magazines.

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Artwork by Patricia Watwood

Writing Coach

I offer coaching services to those for whom writing is a necessity either for personal growth or for professional identity. 

The best time to hire a coach is near the beginning of your journey with a new project or writing practice. However, coaching can be helpful at any point. 

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Spiritual Direction

I offer spiritual direction to individuals and to groups. With individuals, I offer 45-60 minute sessions in person or online through video conferencing.

In March-June 2020 in response to the economic uncertainty of our global pandemic, I will offer sessions that are free to those with financial hardship or to those who wish to make a donation to various relief organizations. Contact me for details.

I begin with a centering prayer that silences the mind and engages the body. When the directee is ready, they will offer whatever situation or ponderings feels significant in their life and is asking for attention.

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Artwork by Patricia Watwood

Artwork by Patricia Watwood

Rituals and Weddings

Life is full of transitions that deserve to be honored. We live more fully and freely when we take time to mark the shifts in our identities.

Naming ceremonies, house blessings, divorce rites, even an interfaith feminist quinceñera are some of the creative ways I officiate rites of passage.

Exchanging vows is a sacred act. It is something people have done for centuries and for all kinds of reasons but it is also something that you are doing together for the first time. Together, you and your beloved are speaking something new into being.

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Future Events

There are no upcoming events at this time.

Past Events

  • The Enneagram as Resource for Communities of Faith

    November 17, 2020 @ 9:00 am at North Decatur Presbyterian Church
  • The Enneagram as Spiritual Resource

    October 19, 2019 @ 8:00 am – 5:00 pm at Mountaintop Inn and Resort
  • Writing for Publication with a Spiritual Voice, in person writer’s workshop

    September 4, 2019 – September 5, 2019 at Columbia Theological Seminary, Center for Lifelong Learning
  • Ordinary Lives, Writing Friends: A panel discussion with Mary Laura Philpott, author of I Miss You When I Blink and Margaret Renkl, New York Times Opinion Columnist, and author of Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss

    September 1, 2019 @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm at Decatur Book Festival
  • Radical Self-Care: A panel discussion with Jennifer Pastiloff, author of On Being Human, and Marlee Grace, author of How to Not Always be Working

    September 1, 2019 @ 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm at Decatur Book Festival
  • Writing Together in Creative Community

    April 19, 2019 – May 31, 2019 at Columbia Theological Seminary, Center for Lifelong Learning
  • Devotional Writing: An Online Workshop

    May 1, 2017 – June 9, 2017 at Columbia Theological Seminary, Center for Lifelong Learning

Testimonials

"New to the publishing industry and writing my first book, Beth was a reassuring, confident, and knowledgeable companion. She guided with insightful questions and humor, while addressing my blind spots with both skill and kindness. I'm so grateful for Beth's finesse in elevating the tone and writing quality.

Sandra C. Smith
Certified Enneagram Consultant and Founder of AlchemyWorksEvents

Beth approaches her work with a tender joyfulness, encouraging writers to find their voice through her keen appreciation for the courage it takes to do work as artists, the blessing and gift that is the act of embodied creativity.

I am grateful to Beth for the work we have done together and encourage others to work with her to create their own breakthroughs into creating and writing the work they have dreamed of offering.

Melissa Tidwell
Author of Embodied Light: Advent Reflections on Incarnation

Beth is a wonderful friend to write with, as a partner in collaboration, as a keenly intelligent editor, as a writing coach. She offers a fine-tuned ear for what makes language sing, and a steel-trap mind for helping writers find the essence of their message and convey it with heart and skill.

Melissa Tidwell
Author of Embodied Light: Advent Reflections on Incarnation

Beth's encouragement and insight nurtures fearlessness in the writing process. Her guidance pushed me creatively, and formed my writing as a meaningful spiritual practice.

Allison Arsenault
Experience Design Manager Forum for Theological Exploration
Photo of Beth Waltemath sitting down, preparing for a wedding in Brooklyn in 2018

Contact Beth

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"New to the publishing industry and writing my first book, Beth was a reassuring, confident, and knowledgeable companion. She guided with insightful questions and humor, while addressing my blind spots with both skill and kindness. I'm so grateful for Beth's finesse in elevating the tone and writing quality.

Sandra C. Smith
Certified Enneagram Consultant and Founder of AlchemyWorksEvents

Beth approaches her work with a tender joyfulness, encouraging writers to find their voice through her keen appreciation for the courage it takes to do work as artists, the blessing and gift that is the act of embodied creativity.

I am grateful to Beth for the work we have done together and encourage others to work with her to create their own breakthroughs into creating and writing the work they have dreamed of offering.

Melissa Tidwell
Author of Embodied Light: Advent Reflections on Incarnation

Beth is a wonderful friend to write with, as a partner in collaboration, as a keenly intelligent editor, as a writing coach. She offers a fine-tuned ear for what makes language sing, and a steel-trap mind for helping writers find the essence of their message and convey it with heart and skill.

Melissa Tidwell
Author of Embodied Light: Advent Reflections on Incarnation

Beth's encouragement and insight nurtures fearlessness in the writing process. Her guidance pushed me creatively, and formed my writing as a meaningful spiritual practice.

Allison Arsenault
Experience Design Manager Forum for Theological Exploration
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