Despite his love of learning, Charles McCollough had always felt estranged from the world of the printed word. Growing up feeling that he was “slower” or “not as smart,” he turned to boxing and football for success as he continued to struggle to understand why it was so hard to comprehend written words.
Working toward his doctorate in theology, he discovered that he was dyslexic—and a lifetime of confusion and frustration suddenly made sense. All his life, Charles had constantly created images to describe his experiences and thoughts.
His new book, Picture This: My Journey from Words to Images, is a memoir with visual memories taken from 40 years’ worth of daily journals that he kept during a lifetime of travel and work. The book is billed as both deeply personal and broadly relatable story of a dyslexic person who harnessed the power of visual expression until he found—and was found by—the grace of creativity.
The 129-page book is published by Outskirts Press, Inc. and is available on book retailer websites such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. A webpage at outskirtspress.com/picturethis was launched simultaneously.
McCollough earned his doctorate at Drew University after graduating from the University of Texas and Perkins School of Theology. After working in local churches in New Jersey and Rhode Island, he served as secretary for adult education for the United Church of Christ, and later as a policy advocate for peace, justice and the environment.
At the same time, he pursued his love of art, serving as artist in residence at five seminaries, exhibiting and speaking, and writing eight books on topics ranging from post-colonial theology to the environment. He continues sculpting in his barn on an old farm in New Jersey, which he has renovated with his wife Carol and equipped with solar power.
