Thebaid Book Update: AAC News, Text Deadline, Pre-Press image proofing

On September 1, 2022September 1, 2022 By zosimasIn Project, Publishing, Thebaid BookLeave a comment

The Thebaid Display at the OCA All American Council in Baltimore, July 18-22

Dear Friends and Supporters, Fellow Pilgrims All,

Much news to share since mid-July, so let’s get to it:

The OCA’s All American Council, July 18-22, was a great opportunity to put The North American Thebaid Book Project in front of people for a whole week. I was invited by St. Tikhon’s Monastery Press to join their large vendor’s booth, and was given an entire table to anchor my display. STM Press had printed some handsome Thebaid Sample Booklets to share, and I brought my large (20″x 30″) canvas prints of some of the very best images to anchor the display. Two easels enabled us to have these large images facing both directions of the main aisle, and it was genuinely rewarding to talk with interested visitors about the project. We took some pre-orders for the book, and some folks donated directly to STM Press to help underwrite the printing costs, all of which helps us to the goal line. Thank you to everyone who stopped by the booth!

The new statue of St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow, carved on site from a tree which had recently died.

Following the AAC, I spent a week at St. Tikhon’s Monastery working on the book, and this daily interaction between myself and press manager Fr. Mikel Hill was very productive. In addition to my week at St. Tikhon’s I made a couple of stops at other regional monasteries and in general had a very productive mid-summer as we continued to prep the book for going to print.

My weekly production calls with STM Press resumed after my week-long working visit, and I’m very pleased to announce we are on track to complete all the text by September 15, and will be having the text files proof-read after that date. This is a major milestone, which will be followed immediately by our review of the image sequencing and layout decisions. This will be our final review of the entire book to optimize the flow of the photographs and make the visual narrative as strong as it can possibly be.

There are other steps also on the agenda, including final design elements, special graphic additions, and especially generating physical pre-press proofs to ensure proper reproduction of the images, many of which have a broad dynamic range, deep shadow detail, specific color gamuts, or heightened Black & White contrast and tonality.

My thanks to all who have recently pre-ordered the Thebaid Book. (I just received notice of another pre-order this morning!) Please note that we will stop taking pre-orders for the Deluxe Limited Edition once we send the book to print. This leather-bound version, with ribbon marker, will be signed and numbered, and will be limited in quantity to the number of pre-orders (plus a few extra copies for our Thebaid Team), and will not be available through any retail or online stores. If you’re interested to learn more, head over to the Thebaid Store to check out the options, which include quantity discounts.

As always, my heartfelt thanks to all our many supporters and those who have pre-ordered. Many of you have been waiting patiently for the fulfillment of this project since we launched this epic photographic pilgrimage six years ago, in September 2016! We are absolutely thrilled to be seeing the publication of the book getting closer every week, and are dedicated to getting it into your hands as quickly as possible. Please pray for us as we labor to get the Thebaid Book over the finish line.

Watch for more updates soon as we check off these various pre-press deadlines!

PS – Also in my summer travels were trips to Jordanville and St. Gregory Palamas in Hayesville, Ohio. Here are some examples of the images I made at these two monasteries. Click to enlarge, as these thumbnails are cropped to fit into the gallery format:

Polishing the Prologue (and Epilogue!)

On March 10, 2020 By zosimasIn Pilgrimage, Project, Publishing3 Comments

Revisiting the early stages of the Thebaid Project has been the key to its successful fulfillment in the near future.

Over the last few weeks I have been revising my text contributions to the North American Thebaid photo book, at the direction of Fr Mikel Hill, manager of St Tikhon’s Monastery Press and Bookstore, and editor of the Thebaid book. Specifically, Fr Mikel gave me the task of combining two separate articles of mine into one, and provided a word count limit, which has been a welcomed but grand challenge (as those who know me can imagine!).

EquipmentBlessing-090416 - 1 — Fr Steven Kostoff blesses my photo gear at the beginning of my travels, September 2016.

Part of my wordsmithing process has included revisiting other earlier blog posts here on the Thebaid website, which has been nothing short of a revelation. Looking back three and four years to my earliest expressions of the nature of the Thebaid Project, my writings on photography and monasticism, and the many articles and features which I have reposted from an array of excellent Orthodox Christian sites, monastic writers, and respected photographers, has been a joyous journey indeed, one which I think you all might enjoy as well.

Continue reading “Polishing the Prologue (and Epilogue!)” →

Three New Galleries from California

On August 30, 2018August 30, 2018 By zosimasIn Monasteries, Photographs, PilgrimageLeave a comment

Editing my photos has been in itself a great experience for me, to revisit my monastery pilgrimages from this summer, and rekindle the flame from these soul-stirring visits with monks and nuns who have left everything to follow Christ in the monastic life.

North American Thebaid Photographic Pilgrimage — The self-renewing icon of St Nicholas (left foreground), iconostasis at Holy Assumption Monastery, Calistoga CA.

I just finished posting three new galleries, each of which includes a brief overview of the monastery in question, with links for you to further explore and plan your own pilgrimages:

Monastery of St John of San Francisco, Manton CA (OCA, men’s)
Holy Assumption Monastery, Calistoga CA (OCA, women’s)
Holy Cross Monastery, Castro Valley CA (OCA, Bulgarian Diocese, men’s)

Watch for more new galleries soon, as I continue to catch up with photo editing. Next up are St Herman of Alaska in Platina CA, All-Merciful Saviour in Vashon Island WA, and the Alaskan pilgrimage, followed by my return trip to monasteries in Arizona and Texas.

If you haven’t yet pre-ordered the Thebaid book, I invite you to do so. For a limited time you can still get a signed/matted fine-art print from the Thebaid project, when you pre-order a signed book. The Deluxe Limited Edition Thebaid Book in bonded leather (signed & numbered) is still available for pre-orders, and also comes with a signed/matted fine-art print. Full details and easy online ordering here.

As always, my heartfelt thanks for your prayers and support!

ANOTHER NEW GALLERY: St Silouan Monastery in Sonora CA

On August 22, 2018 By zosimasIn Monasteries, Photographs, PilgrimageLeave a comment

This was a very special visit for me, as Monk Ignatius and I have been corresponding off and on for nearly a decade, and I have dear friends in Cincinnati who also have strong ties to the monastery.

North American Thebaid Photographic Pilgrimage

Even on this brief visit, I was able to get a real sense of the Brotherhood’s vision for the monastery, which is beautifully situated near Yosemite, a modest drive from San Francisco, Fresno, and Sacramento. Fr Ignatius’ vision for the property and the brothers’ warmth and hospitality are quite infectious, and I hope to return again soon, God willing.

Proceed to the new Gallery page, which also includes links to the St Silouan Monastery web site, and additional info.

NEW GALLERY: St Barbara Monastery, Santa Paula CA

On August 21, 2018 By zosimasIn Monasteries, Photographs, PilgrimageLeave a comment

The pace of my travels the past few weeks has been so steady as to leave no time for photo editing, but during this, my last week of travel on my western pilgrimage, I wanted to begin catching up on the many photos from California, Washington, Alaska, Arizona, and now Texas!

First up in this new group of galleries is St Barbara’s in Santa Paula, a beautiful women’s monastery situated in the steep but rolling hills of Southern California, just a short drive from the Pacific and many beautiful destinations. Follow this link to the new gallery, where you can also proceed to the monastery website to learn more about this blessed and important community of nuns.

St Herman, Spruce Island & the Alaskan Pilgrimage

On August 12, 2018August 12, 2018 By zosimasIn Monastic Saints, Photographs, Pilgrimage3 Comments

This past Tuesday I returned to Anchorage from Kodiak, having spent four days with the monks at Archangel Michael Skete on Spruce Island.

Our monk skipper departs after dropping us pilgrims off at the landing for the return to Kodiak.

Fr Andrew of St Michael’s Skete holding the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God, in the Kaluga Chapel.

Monk’s Rock.

The Meeting of the Lord Temple, Monk’s Lagoon at Spruce Island.

St Herman’s Spring, where many healings flow.

St Herman’s original grave, below the new chapel.

Monk’s Lagoon

I’m back on the road today for my return leg, and am just putting up this quick post before leaving for the Divine Liturgy at St George (Antiochian) near Portland OR, so, as usual, I beg your patience and ask you to watch for photo galleries on this blessed chapter in my ongoing pilgrimage to Orthodox Christian monasteries in North America.

These are unedited photos, which I will rework and re-post as soon as I can, but they give a tiny glimpse of the holy wonder I experienced on Spruce Island:

For a delightful look at the annual St Herman Pilgrimage, see this video report by Indie Alaska.

As always, my heartfelt thanks for your prayers and support!

More Galleries coming soon! Seven more, and then some…

On July 27, 2018 By zosimasIn Monasteries, PilgrimageLeave a comment

I wish to thank everyone for your patience with my erratic gallery posting during this amazing period of travels.

Since July 1 alone, I have traveled to ten monasteries (in Arizona and California), and am literally getting in the car immediately after posting this to head to #11 this month, All-Merciful Saviour (Men’s, ROCOR), on Vashon Island WA. After that, I’ll be flying to Alaska, where I hope to take a boat to Archangel Michael and St Nilus sketes on Spruce Island, as well as visit Protecting Veil in Anchorage.

So, I am striving to do some quick edits and post galleries from seven monasteries, with another 3 or 4 following in early August. Coming up, in the order in which they were visited:

St Barbara Monastery, Santa Paula CA
St Silouan Monastery, Sonora CA
Holy Cross Monastery, Castro Valley CA
Holy Assumption Monastery, Calistoga CA
Monastery of St John of San Francisco, Manton CA
St Herman of Alaska Monastery, Platina CA
St Xenia Skete, Wildwood CA
All-Merciful Savior Monastery, Vashon Island WA

I should add that I had a wonderful visit at Annunciation Orthodox Church in Milwaukie OR for early morning Matins today, July 27, and hope to visit there again either before or immediately after my Alaska trip, and share more with the parish about the Thebaid Project.

I’m also trying to add a few other monasteries to my return trip, which may see me cross Washington State over to Spokane, then back south to Colorado and Arizona, and east across Texas on my way back to Birmingham AL.

If you have yet to pre-order the North American Thebaid book, doing so now helps me enormously with travel costs, and guarantees you will receive your copy before general distribution begins later this Autumn. There will be both a Standard Hardcover, Clothbound Edition, and a Deluxe Limited Edition in Bonded Leather, which will be signed and numbered and will have a special acknowledgments page listing supporters who pre-ordered the Deluxe Ltd. Ed. book.

Thank you all for your prayers and support!

Venerating a Saint, and Sunset at the Pacific

On July 17, 2018 By zosimasIn Monastic Saints, Photographs1 Comment

During the course of my Western Pilgrimage, I have (somewhat reluctantly) passed by many touristy destinations so as to keep to both my schedule and my purpose. The growing list is quirky, and includes the following:

Red Rocks Amphitheater, Denver CO (their Performers Hall of Fame is a ‘Who’s Who’ of Rock and Roll artists, ranging from Dan Fogelberg to U2, Sting, The Beatles, and many more)
Los Alamos NM (site of the development of the Atomic Bomb)
Roswell NM (site of the infamous alleged UFO crash in 1947
The Very Large Array Radio Telescope, NM (featured in the Jodie Foster film, ‘Contact’)
Alamogordo, New Mexico (site of the ‘Trinity’ Atomic Bomb Test)
Tombstone, Arizona (legendary Western town)
Joshua Tree National Forest (beloved by many U2 fans)
Yosemite (beloved by two photographer heroes of mine, Ansel Adams and John Sexton)
Golden Gate Park (though I drove across the Golden Gate Bridge)
Petrified Forest CA (though I have felt petrified at times by many of the canyons and cliffs I have been driving around!)
and more…

Any of these detours might have been justified, but would have extended my travels, and detracted from and confused my pilgrim’s progress.

However, I have chosen to add two specific sites to my itinerary: Holy Virgin Russian Orthodox Cathedral, and the Pacific Ocean.

Holy Virgin Cathedral (‘Joy of All Who Sorrow’) was built in the 1960s, and shepherded to completion by the much beloved wonderworking saint, Archbishop John Maximovitch, who had also been bishop in Shanghai and Western Europe. St John is such a towering figure in contemporary Orthodoxy that his impact is immeasurable. I am deeply thankful I was able to navigate the traffic to worship at the Cathedral for the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, July 15, and to venerate St. John’s incorrupt relics, which are enclosed in a beautiful shrine and canopy on the right hand side of the lofty cathedral.

As for the Pacific Ocean, I had expected to be able to find a beach and walk and photograph easily, but due to the demands of photo editing and travel, I was able only to make two brief excursions to the coast, to Dillon Beach, and Bodega Bay, where I made a few photographs, which I share with you here. There is such deep symbolism and power in contemplating the ocean…

Watch for more monastery galleries to be uploaded as time (and internet access!) permits.

And, as always, thank you all for your prayers and support!!!

Fragrance of the Desert, Pt. 4 – St. Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery, Florence AZ

On July 16, 2018July 16, 2018 By zosimasIn Monasteries, PhotographsLeave a comment

New Photo Gallery posted, with unique images made at St Anthony’s in the Arizona Desert.

North American Thebaid Photographic Pilgrimage

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am very thankful to God’s providence for opening the doors for me to stay at St Anthony’s Greek Orthodox Monastery for a few days, even though I had been unable to reach the monks to formally schedule a visit. They had room for me, and were most kind and hospitable, and Abbot Paisios gave his blessing for me to make some photographs during my stay.

This is a thriving and bustling monastery, with both men and women pilgrims. I saw whole families there, as well as a youth group, and met people from all across the US and Canada, and even from Australia.

Proceed to this special Gallery page to view the new photos, and watch for more galleries to be posted soon, as I continue my Western pilgrimage.

As a reminder, if you haven’t yet pre-ordered the North American Thebaid coffee table book (due later this Autumn), please consider doing so, as book pre-orders are our primary fundraising means to support the travel and photography. Additional rewards are provided to supporters at a variety of levels. Thank you!

Fragrance of the Desert, Pt. 3 – St Paisius Monastery, in the High Desert of Arizona

On July 12, 2018July 11, 2018 By zosimasIn Monasteries, Photographs, PilgrimageLeave a comment

This was a providential visit, and is hopefully a prelude to a longer stay on my return journey.

In my emails with Abbess Michaila, I learned the nuns were deep into their new building project, a new dining hall which would accommodate the sisterhood and their growing numbers of guests. Having a larger kitchen will greatly aid their ability to provide meals and hospitality for pilgrims.

Unfortunately, this meant I was passing through at an inconvenient time for the sisterhood, and would not be able to stay. I decided to time my travels to be at the monastery for the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, July 1. A good plan, but I didn’t count on road fatigue, so after an extended rest, I arrived shortly after Liturgy had ended, and made my way to the beautiful Gift Shop, where I was warmly greeted by two of the sisters.

I also came bearing gifts – from the brotherhood at Archangel Michael Monastery in Cañones, New Mexico, where I had been a week prior. They sent me on my way with some delightful teas for the sisters at St Paisius, and a few items for Fr Dorotheus, the Chaplain, so I was determined to faithfully make my delivery!

As it turned out, Abbess Michaila had one of the nuns give me a tour of the grounds and chapels, and gave her blessing for me to make some photos. You can see the ‘initial visit’ gallery here, as well as learn more about St Paisius and explore their website through the links provided.

Watch for more galleries coming soon! And if you haven’t yet pre-ordered the North American Thebaid book, please consider doing so! Pre-sales of the book is our primary fundraiser to keep the car (and me) fueled up, and bring this pilgrimage to a successful conclusion.

As always, thank you for your prayers and support!