Marilyn Hagerty and the Joyful Novelty of Thankfulness

Last updated on: February 2, 2015 at 11:53 am by Rebecca Florence Miller

Marilyn Hagerty and the Joyful Novelty of Thankfulness 2015-02-02T11:53:18-06:00 Rebecca Florence Miller

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I’m guest-posting today for my dear friends over at Christ and Pop Culture. If you have never read their website and magazine, you are missing out on a treat! They specialize really good, thoughtful writing and art. I’ve gotten to know a number of the writers and editors and podcasters I can say that CAPC is an amazing community of people who value culture, attempt to be self-critical, strive for excellence, and always maintain a good sense of humor! Sure, we’ve all disagreed with each other from time to time, but my interaction with these folks is one of the few places on the internet where things don’t get nasty when that happens. Members are really good at being respectful of one another even when we disagree. They also challenge me in many positive ways. And they uphold a standard of rising above mediocrity in the intersection between faith and the arts, as well as in public discourse. They also offer amazing member benefits for just $5/month. But you can read the magazine and website and listen to the fantastic weekly podcast even without membership, which is pretty awesome.

With that introduction, here’s the first paragraph of my post. Head on over to read the rest!

You may know who Marilyn Hagerty is, even if you don’t recognize her name. In 2012, this then-eighty-six–year-old columnist (and former features editor) at North Dakota’s Grand Forks Herald went “viral” (a term she had to ask her son to define for her) for her completely non-ironic review of the Olive Garden when it arrived in her town. (She famously described this chain restaurant as “the largest and most beautiful restaurant now operating in Grand Forks,” perhaps a subtle hint that she was underwhelmed by the food itself.) When her column first went viral, Hagerty was ridiculed as a cultureless simpleton. But as time went by, she began to grow on people. Rather than making fun of her, more and more of us began to be attracted to her snappy wit, her comfort in her own skin, and her complete lack of cynicism.