The historic, handsome city in the shadow of Los Angeles has been a creative hotbed since the Arroyo Arts & Crafts scene of the early twentieth century. This literary journal gathers short fiction by such Pasadena-area writers as Michelle Huneven (Blame), David Ebershoff (The 19th Wife), Victoria Patterson (This Vacant Paradise), Jervey Tervalon (Understand This), Naomi Hirahara (Snakeskin Shamisen), Lian Dolan (Helen of Pasadena), Denise Hamilton (The Last Embrace), Ron Koertge (The Arizona Kid), Dianne Emley (the Nan Vining mysteries), and Jim Krusoe (Parsifal).

Produced as a companion to LitFest Pasadena (May 2013), Literary Pasadena: The Fiction Edition is the first in an annual series that will move on to include editions in poetry, essays, humor, and more.

Although many older Catholics are familiar with the cult of the saints, veneration of saints is for many younger Catholics a lost tradition. Yet this remarkably clear, deeply researched book offers a path through biblical, historical, and systematic aspects of the communion of saints in which those canonized play special roles. This study follows Vatican II’s view of the saints as companions, models, and intercessors—that the saints guide us through both the inspiration of their holy lives and their roles in the afterlife. With a comprehensive introduction to the Catholic Church’s history of venerating saints, each subsequent study emphasizes the rediscovery of the meaning of veneration and is designed for both academic instruction and personal use. Each chapter also includes a list of important terms and suggestions for additional reading.