This month the Biblical Studies Carnival hits a milestone, Jim West hosts the 200th Carnival. These Biblical Studies carnivals had changed and mutated so many times the resemble some apocalyptic beast, the the goal remains the same. Jim describes his Carnival as “divided into sections so that you can quickly locate your field of interest and then move on to the other parts. Links are ‘curated’ (people love that word these days don’t they. Even sandwiches are curated now…) with appropriate (and sometimes inappropriate) commentary by your host.” As always Jim invites constructive criticism and comments and he promises to treat each with the tender compassion he is well-known for.
I hate to be too negative about this, but it has become increasingly difficult to get hosts for the carnivals. Jim West can I can keep doing them forever, but I am not sure if there is a great deal of interest from others to volunteer. (Some of you have faithfully volunteered many times and I really do appreciate it). Bloggers come and go, and sadly most of them have gone. At least the traditional blogger. Over the years blogs have given way to twitter-threads, podcasts or YouTube videos, even (God help us all) TikTok. Notice the trend is away from reading content and toward hearing (or seeing) the content. I do not listen to many podcasts mostly because I cannot listen and work at the same time, and I really don’t exercise so I am not going to listen while I “work out” (whatever that means).
So it is time for people who do listen to academic podcasts to step up and include them as part of a Biblical Studies Carnival. Let us all know who we should be listening to, maybe even (God help us), what TikTok biblical studies are worth our time. If you have thought about hosting, now is the time! “And who knows but that you have come to your social media position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14, The Message, probably)
Contact me via email, plong42@gmail.com or DM on twitter (plong42) to discuss hosting a summer Biblical Studies carnival. If you are a new BiblioBlogger, this is a good way to get your blog some recognition. And, to quote Jim West, ” if you do one, it makes it unlikely that I will!”
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about hosting a Carnival this summer (or fall). Check out the Biblical Studies Carnival Master List at the top of this page to visit past carnivals.
I hope you’re flooded with volunteers.
May my quiver be full