Phyllis Tickle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Phyllis Tickle
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| Born |
Phyllis Natalie Alexander
March 12, 1934 Johnson City, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Died | September 22, 2015 (aged 81) Millington, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Occupation | Author, lecturer |
| Years active | 1972–2015 |
| Spouse(s) |
Samuel Tickle, Sr.
(m. 1955) |
| Children | Seven |
Phyllis Natalie Tickle (born Alexander; March 12, 1934 – September 22, 2015) was an American writer and speaker. She focused on topics about spirituality and religion. Before becoming a famous author, she worked as a teacher, professor, and academic dean.
Phyllis Tickle also helped start the religion section at Publishers Weekly magazine. She was a key voice in the Emergence Church movement. Her most famous books include The Divine Hours series and The Great Emergence- How Christianity Is Changing and Why. Many news groups, like Newsweek, Time, and CNN, often quoted her. People said that "no one has written more deeply and spoken more widely about American faith and spirituality than Phyllis Tickle."
A book about her life, called Phyllis Tickle: A Life, was written by Jon M. Sweeney and came out in 2018.
Contents
About Phyllis Tickle
Her Early Life and Family
Phyllis Tickle was born on March 12, 1934. Her father, Philip Wade Alexander, was a dean at East Tennessee State University. Her mother was Katherine Ann Porter Alexander.
On June 17, 1955, she married Samuel Milton Tickle, Sr. He was a well-known lung doctor. Samuel passed away in January 2015. Phyllis and Samuel had seven children together. She continued to live near Millington, Tennessee, on a place called The Farm in Lucy. Many of her stories are set there.
Phyllis Tickle passed away on September 22, 2015, at the age of 81.
Her Education
Phyllis Tickle studied at Shorter University for three years. She earned her bachelor's degree (BA) from East Tennessee State University in 1955. Later, she received a master's degree (MA) from Furman University in 1961.
She was also given honorary degrees. Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University gave her an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 2004. She received a second one from North Park University in 2009.
Her Career as a Writer and Editor
Phyllis Tickle started her career as a Latin teacher in Memphis schools from 1955 to 1957. She then taught at Furman University and Rhodes College. From 1965 to 1971, she was the Dean of Humanities at the Memphis College of Art.
In 1972, she started working in writing and editing. She was an editor for St. Luke's Press and Peachtree Publishers. From 1987 to 1990, she directed the Trade Publishing Group for the Wimmer Companies.
In 1991, Phyllis Tickle created the religion department for Publishers Weekly magazine. She stayed there until 2004. She left to focus more on the "Emergence Christianity" movement. She was known for saying that religion books were like "portable pastors." USA Today described her as having a "rigorous mind and hand-in-the dirt humility." She believed that selling religion books was both a calling and a business duty.
Phyllis Tickle was also involved in many other groups. She was the founding president of the Publishers Association of the South. In 1996, she won the Mays Award for her work in writing and publishing. This award recognized her efforts to get mainstream media to cover religion publishing. In 2007, she received a Life-Time Achievement Award from The Christy Awards. This award honored her for supporting fiction written "to the glory of God."
From 2004 until 2015, Phyllis Tickle focused on writing and giving talks. She wrote over three dozen books. She became a leading expert on the Emergence Church movement. People said she was as important to religious publishing as Walter Cronkite was to journalism.
In 2007, an Italian painter named Mario Donizetti wrote a letter to Phyllis Tickle. This letter, called "Lettera a Phyllis", honored their friendship. It shared his ideas about art and how they relate to new discoveries about the human brain.
In 2013, a book of essays was put together to honor Phyllis Tickle's retirement. Tony Jones edited this book. It included writings from authors like Brian McLaren and Diana Butler Bass.
In June 2015, a collection of her writings was released. It was called Phyllis Tickle—Essential Spiritual Writings. Jon M. Sweeney, who wrote her biography, selected and introduced these writings.
In July 2015, the Wild Goose Festival was dedicated to her. The festival organizers said she was a big reason for its success. They also announced they would use prayers from her book The Divine Hours during the festival. This was in response to news about her health.
In the fall of 2015, Logos Bookstores named Phyllis Tickle their "author of the year." Logos Bookstores is the largest group of Christian book sellers in the United States.
