Join us next fall for an enriching cultural experience that explores the life and work of C. S. Lewis through collaborations by the arts, education, and faith communities. Festival events are held in Petoskey in beautiful Northern Michigan.
C.S. Lewis Festival Release Agreement & Liability Waiver
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A three-part dissection of C.S. Lewis’s self-proclaimed best work, Till We Have Faces, a retelling of the Cupid & Psyche myth.
Dr. Suzanne Shumway — A Co-Founder of the C.S. Lewis Festival, recently retired after a career in teaching composition, literature, and public speaking, but she continues her exploration of the world of ideas and literature through her writing. She has published essays on C.S. Lewis’s Till We Have Faces (in the journal VII), and John Thomas Perceval and most recently presented a paper on Dickens and Music at the 22nd Annual Dickens Society Symposium in Boston. Suzanne maintains a blog, The Tabard Inn, and has written two novels (Effie Marten and Betony Lodge).
Dylan Taylor — A 2007 graduate of the University of Michigan, where he studied history and creative writing. The former co-executive director of the Little Traverse Historical Society, he is a small business and finance consultant. In his spare time, he works with local writers and writing groups.
Tuesday, September 16 | 7:00PM
North Central Michigan College Library
1515 Howard Street, Petoskey, MI 49770
The documentary screening is free.
No reservations. First come, first served.
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Narrated by Academy Award-winner Sir Ben Kingsley, this multiple-award-winning documentary is the most complete portrait ever produced of the world-renowned author, many consider the greatest Christian writer of the 20th century. C.S. Lewis continues to bring magic into the lives of readers, young and old, with his classic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis is one of the most commercially successful authors of our time.
Seen by over 25 million viewers on PBS, this illuminating program chronicles Lewis’ remarkable life – his childhood in Northern Ireland and the devastating loss of his mother, the profound impact of World War I on his belief system, his acclaimed career at Britain’s Oxford and Cambridge universities, his storied friendship with author J.R.R. Tolkien, his transition from atheist to Christian, and his late-in-life love story with his wife, Joy. The Magic Never Ends features interviews with world-renowned Lewis scholars, family members, friends, and Oscar-nominated actress Debra Winger (Shadowlands).
Run time: 56m
Thursday, September 18 | 7:00PM
The Lyric Theatre
275 E. Main Street, Harbor Springs, MI 49740
The screening is free, with a suggested donation of $5 per person.
No reservations. First come, first served.
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As we kick off the Festival weekend exploring “The Faces of C.S. Lewis,” please consider joining us for a screening of Freud’s Last Session (2023), in which psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud invites professor C.S. Lewis to debate the existence of God, Freud’s unique relationship with his daughter, and Lewis’ unconventional relationship with his best friend’s mother.
Rated: PG-13 | Run time: 1h 50m | Starring: Anthony Hopkins & Matthew Goode
For more information and a parental guide, visit IMDb.
Friday, September 19, 1:00–3:00PM
Lavender Hill Farm
7354 Horton Bay Road N, Boyne City, MI 49712
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Join Dr. Christin Ditchfield Lazo, a certified labyrinth facilitator, for a spiritual experience at picturesque Lavender Hill Farm. Participants will gather at 1:00PM for a 15-minute explanation from Christin regarding this meditative Christian practice, and she will guide individuals into the labyrinth. This experience can be as quick as 10 minutes or last an hour and a half—it’s up to you! Once you complete your labyrinth meditation, feel free to wander around the farm’s grounds and enjoy its amenities.
This event is designed for ages 12 and up. There will be a short walk with hilly terrain to reach the labyrinth, so we recommend wearing comfortable walking shoes. Consider bringing a journal to write down your thoughts post-experience, and we welcome participants to discuss their experiences with one another if they choose.
If the weather is uncooperative, we will pivot to an indoor space at Lavender Hill Farm for a different yet equally meditative experience guided by Christin.
Click here for more information from Christin about walking prayer labyrinths!
Friday, September 19, 7:00PM
Great Lakes Center for the Arts
800 Bay Harbor Drive, Petoskey, MI 49770
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PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU REGISTER FOR THE SATURDAY SEMINAR, YOU RECEIVE ONE (1) COMPLIMENTARY TICKET FOR THE KEYNOTE ADDRESS. THE FESTIVAL WILL PROCESS KEYNOTE ADDRESS ENROLLMENT.
C.S. Lewis and the Myth of Love: Why Till We Have Faces is “Far and Away” Lewis’s Best Book
In letters written in the late 1950s, C.S. Lewis proclaimed a number of times that his last novel was “my best book,” yet that maddening, magnificent “Myth Retold” often remains as inscrutable as it is compelling to many readers. In this Keynote Address, Lewis scholar Andrew Lazo draws on nearly 20 years of research to justify Lewis’s bold claim; in so doing, Lazo also proposes a profound shift in how we think of the motive, means, and method of all of Lewis’s work.
Following Rev. Lazo’s Keynote Address is a performance by the C.S. Lewis House Band, led by Festival Board Member and accomplished musician Curt Coffield. The C.S. Lewis House Band will perform a set of songs inspired by Lewis on stage at the Great Lakes Center for the Arts.
Saturday, September 20, 8:30AM – 3:00PM
Great Lakes Center for the Arts
800 Bay Harbor Drive, Petoskey, MI 49770
Tickets: $60 full day / $30 half day / $20 student (20 years of age & under)
This event has concluded!
PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU REGISTER FOR THE SATURDAY SEMINAR, YOU RECEIVE ONE (1) COMPLIMENTARY TICKET FOR THE KEYNOTE ADDRESS. THE FESTIVAL WILL PROCESS KEYNOTE ADDRESS ENROLLMENT.
Enjoy enlightening and engaging sessions with the featured scholars of the 2025 C.S. Lewis Festival: Reverend Andrew Lazo, Dr. Christin Ditchfield Lazo, Abigail Santamaria, and David Bates. Coffee and pastries provided with full-day and morning half-day sessions; lunch provided with full-day and afternoon half-day sessions.
Building on his Friday keynote address, Andrew Lazo will continue to draw from twenty years of research and insight to explore in greater detail why C.S. Lewis called the novel “far and away my best book.”
Discover how C.S. Lewis came to write one of the most popular fantasy/fairy tale series of all time and learn more about what he called “the story within the story” — the powerful, life-changing truths that spill from nearly every scene, every page.
What goes into researching and writing a life? What unique challenges do biographers face when writing about beloved figures? How do they decide what to include or exclude when confronted with unflattering facts and anecdotes? How do they navigate their own biases while interpreting their subjects’ work, relationships, and choices? Sarah Arthur interviews Abigail Santamaria about her experience as biographer of Joy Davidman—the woman who captivated C.S. Lewis—and Madeleine L’Engle, beloved author of the Newbery-winning A Wrinkle in Time.
This discussion will be a whistle-stop tour through Lewis’s corpus and their connections to Till We Have Faces and will air at a later date on Pints with Jack: The C.S. Lewis Podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more.
Reverend Andrew Lazo | Emmanuel Episcopal Church
8:00AM & 10:00AM Services
1020 E. Mitchell Street, Petoskey
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