My Interview with Duc N. Ly
My Flickr photostream recently caught the attention of Duc N. Ly, who asked me to comment on the origin of Bible Design Blog and on my interest in leather goods generally. If you'd like to read the brief interview, follow the link: J. Mark Bertrand. Here's an excerpt:
I expected some interest, but nothing like what ended up happening. Turns out there are a lot more people fascinated by Bible design and binding than I ever realized, and quite a few of them visit the site regularly, contributing to the “community” feel. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’ve certainly learned a lot!
If you want to take a look at the photostream, you'll find it here. But I warn you in advance, it's just an endless iteration of leather objects for the most part.
J. Mark Bertrand is a novelist and pastor whose writing on Bible design has helped spark a publishing revolution. Mark is the author of Rethinking Worldview: Learning to Think, Live, and Speak in This World (Crossway, 2007), as well as the novels Back on Murder, Pattern of Wounds, and Nothing to Hide—described as a “series worth getting attached to” (Christianity Today) by “a major crime fiction talent” (Weekly Standard) in the vein of Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin, and Henning Mankell.
Mark has a BA in English Literature from Union University, an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston, and an M.Div. from Heidelberg Theological Seminary. Through his influential Bible Design Blog, Mark has championed a new generation of readable Bibles. He is a founding member of the steering committee of the Society of Bible Craftsmanship, and chairs the Society’s Award Committee. His work was featured in the November 2021 issue of FaithLife’s Bible Study Magazine.
Mark also serves on the board of Worldview Academy, where he has been a member of the faculty of theology since 2003. Since 2017, he has been an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. He and his wife Laurie life in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.