- Transpositions: Improvising Theology and Culture
- Drawing in the Dust: Sketches in Theology and Culture
- Improvised Fragments: Explorations in Theology and Culture
- Loopaper: Theological Reflections on Culture You Can Recycle (not sure how this would sell, but it's a damn good title)
- Post It: Notes on Theology and Culture
- On the Stage of the Everyday: Improvisations in Theology and Culture
- Texts at the Intersection: Fragments in Theology and Culture (with a cover photo of someone texting at a busy intersection)
- Secular Parables: Fragments in Theology and Culture
- I also liked the subtitle "Intersecting Theology and Culture"
Sunday, 7 March 2010
A shortlist of book titles
Many thanks for all the humorous, insightful and occasionally insane suggestions for a book title. I've come up with a rough list of my favourites, but I'm still having trouble deciding. I also appreciated the comments regarding the subtitle, so I'm wondering now whether "fragments" or "intersection" might be a better metaphor than "improvisation", especially if the latter sounds awkward and pretentious. Anyway, here's the shortlist (a mix of proposed titles and subtitles) – which do you like best?
Quite like the second one: 'Drawing in the Dust: Sketches in Theology and Culture'.
ReplyDeleteI would buy that book. I think the imagery of the dust links the subject matter with the everyday of culture.
I second 'Drawing in the Dust: Sketches in Theology and Culture' quite simply because it sounds best!
ReplyDeleteAnything that doesn't sound highfalutin! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm voting for
- Drawing in the Dust
- Loopaper
- Post It
Other things on the same tack could be 'snippets', 'bits and pieces', 'odds and ends'...
Cheers
Arthur
I like the second one too actually - Drawing in the Dust...
ReplyDeleteI like "Transpositions." I would buy that book.
ReplyDeleteLOOPAPER!
ReplyDeleteIt will definately sell.
TJ
I like drawing in the dust.
ReplyDeletePost it is a trademark isn't it?
Any of the top four, with #2 and #4 my favourites.
ReplyDelete*Anything* with the word "texts" in it sounds pretentious.
ReplyDeleteBut since I quite like the slightly awkward "Improvised Fragments: Explorations in Theology and Culture" what do I know? :)
The "loopaper" option reworded to my liking:
"Loopaper: Recyclable Theological Reflections on Culture"
or, using my preferred slang:
"Bogroll: Recyclable Theological Reflections on Culture"
Yeah Patrik, my wife just pointed out the same thing: "Post-It" is a trademark, so that one's definitely off the list.
ReplyDeleteDrawing in the Dust sounds like your ripping off Rowan William's book Writings in the Dust.
ReplyDelete"Drawing in the Sand"? Jesus drew in the sand.
I like "Post It: Notes on Theology & Culture" too.
I think the keeping 'improvisation' or 'improvising' in the subtitle is quite effective.
ReplyDelete'Transpositions' fits nicely into that metaphor because it implies a back and forth improvisatory conversation between theology and culture.
Bogroll is a nice pun on blogroll. But I don't know how it will sell.
ReplyDeleteI like drawing in the dust.
I'm with Kampen, Drawing in the Dust is too close to Williams. While Loopaper is fun, remember that kind of title will stay on your CV and be endlessly recycled when you least expect it...
ReplyDeleteIf Drawing in the Dust is too close to Williams, would either of these work? (They don't really have the same effectiveness though.)
ReplyDeleteWriting in the Sand: Sketches in Theology and Culture
Drawing in the Sand: Sketches in Theology and Culture
Looks like we've lost the alliteration. How about:
ReplyDeleteOutlines in the Sand: Sketches in Theology and Culture
Plans Inscribed in Dust: Sketches in Theology and Culture
Designs in the Dust: Sketches in Theology and Culture
I'm voting for the Barthian allusion: Secular Parables.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, I still think "Between Glitter and Doom" was pretty nice...
Scribbling in the sand
ReplyDeletedrawing in the sand
writing in the sand
I like all of those, sounds appropriate to the nature of cultural interaction.
#3--a title with Fragments and Improvising is very sexy.
ReplyDeleteI like:
ReplyDeleteTexts at the Intersection of Theology and Culture
(with a cover photo of someone texting at a busy intersection)
Justin
I vote for "Texts at the Intersection," but NOT with someone texting at an intersection. The metaphor seems fuller and less cheaply direct than that.
ReplyDeleteAs the one who will likely be copyediting this volume, I just suggest avoiding anything involving "improvisation" or "transposition." I think these terms are just over-used in certain theological circles.
ReplyDeleteFragments is ok, but that one's pretty popular as well.
I'm liking the ...in the sand/dust campaign. Anyone suggested Graffiti?
ReplyDeleteI'm with Halden: improvisation is overused in titles.
ReplyDeleteI like Secular Parables, but I guess I wonder if it would actually make any sense considering what the book's about (which I haven't read!). I like "sketches" and "fragments" better than intersections and improvisation.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the "drawing in the dust" thing goes--yeah, it sounds like Williams' title, but who really cares? After all, I assume you'll be riffing on Williams in the book anyway!
"Etched in the Sand: Explorations in Theology and Culture"
ReplyDeleteWalkin' in the Sand--
ReplyDeletewith JC's Hand in hand
You can't really etch something in sand...etching suggests permanence, as much as I like the word etching and that it reminds me of the "etch-a-sketch" (unfortunately also a trademark)days. Anyway, I'm updating my vote to:
ReplyDeleteDrawing in the Sand: Inquiries in Theology and Culture
or
Drawing in the Sand: Sketches in Theology and Culture
Like Sand through the Hourglass...
ReplyDeleteoh that's been done too.
How about:
Standing on the Corner: Observations at the Intersection of Theology and Culture.
I suggest waiting for the muse. I don't think the title is there yet. Ask your editor, too.
ReplyDeleteYeah Roger, at the moment I'm only feeling more uncertain! "Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?" I loved Drawing in the Dust, but I don't want it to sound like a rip-off. So these two are probably my current favourites:
ReplyDeleteDrawing in the Sand: Sketches in Theology and Culture
Secular Parables: Sketches in Theology and Culture
Improvised Fragments
ReplyDeleteor
Secular Parables
I like the word "Fragments" because it reminds me of the various Kierkegaardian titles.
Mmmmm...Ben maybe you stumbled round an idea.
ReplyDeleteThe Wasteland
Don't worry if it is close to Rowan's title - it isn't a rip-off and it has a really nice biblical allusion to it which works well with the sub-title. My vote is go with Drawing in the Dust - Rowan wouldn't mind.
ReplyDeleteYou could write to Rowan Williams and see what he thinks.
ReplyDeleteIs it important for you that your title is generated within your blogging community?
Hi Kampen — I don't think I've attached a special significance to letting other people generate the title. It's just that I'll never be able to think of a good one myself! But maybe Myk is right — maybe I could still get away with "Drawing in the Dust".
ReplyDeleteOf course, anyone who knows Rowan Wms's book will know that the metaphor of "dust" is completely different in his case, i.e., the dust in NYC after the Twin Towers fell. Would that kind of specificity be an argument for the dissimilarity of "Drawing in the Dust"...?
Drawing in the Sand reminds me of that 'footprints in the sand' story, which gives it a mawkish overlay. If you want to keep the alliteration, which helps with the catchiness, here are some options:
ReplyDeleteDrawing in the Dirt
Drawing in the Dross
Drawing in the Dark
etc...
-kshaw
Ben, I really like the title "Drawing in the Dust: Sketches in Theology and Culture" and Rowan certainly wouldn't mind. The question is, what will the majority of your (potential) readers think? Will the connection to Rowan's book be common? and will that be a positive or a negative or neutral thing? (And does that matter to you?)
ReplyDeleteHave a lend of yourself - Sketches by Skippy or Unity through Schism or if you want to attract our new age relatives - It's all bollocks, but why?
ReplyDeleteWho are you trying to get to buy the book? Where will it be marketed? Lots of cool ideas but your potential audience makes a huge difference. Is it an attempt to break into the so called popular Christian market with something a bit more meaty. Is it trying to get into the general populous, the public square? The title should grab your potential readers attention...
ReplyDeleteMaybe somethin' real, like "Life with the Theo-Mafia", with some hardboiled adventures, solicitations, priestly kix down-under, etc. Hot Canberra nites, brutthrrs
ReplyDelete:).
Up Pericope: Rippling the surface of Theology and Culture
ReplyDeletePeeing in the Snow: Marking out Theology's Territory in Culture
ReplyDeleteEther Ore: Theology Mining Culture in the Internet Age
ReplyDeleteHoarse Men of the Apocalypse: Doing Theology and Culture Before It's Too Late.
ReplyDeleteI personally vote for "Secular Parables." would there be secular parables in the book?
ReplyDeleteI also quite liked "Drawing in the Dark"
joel
can't resist this one for the 'sexy' title you requested: 'Sex at the Intertextion'
ReplyDeleteI vote for Fat's two suggestions: he has some sense of humour. And a witty book title is better than boring!
ReplyDeleteI suggest dropping the colon and just giving the book one name. Recent scholarly books are almost pretentious in refusing to give a book a single name, in my opinion. Just call it "Improvising Theology & Culture".
ReplyDeleteHi Ben,
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about book titles and copyright, but there already is a novel called simply "Drawing in the Dust" - http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Dust-Zoe-Klein/dp/1416599126
How about - Depictions in the Dust: Sketches in Theology and Culture.
ReplyDeleteThere's also the option of dropping the definite article. "Drawing in Dust" works *almost* as well.
ReplyDeleteOr Doodling/Doodles instead of Drawing? Maybe not.
Dust to Dust: Where theology and culture merge. ;)
ReplyDelete