My partner Sarah Dark more closely resembles her Bitmojis than most. This is the one she crafted when she issued a public word inviting friends, neighbors, colleagues, and co-conspirators to appear at Belmont’s Bunch Library multimedia hall tomorrow at 4:30 to listen to me talk about the revised, reframed, and repentant version of Life’s Too Short To Pretend You’re Not Religious. I’m moved by it. I feel seen. Maybe you do too. I’m hoping there will be more occasions (here, there, and yon) for urging my work upon people in an in-person setting in the weeks and months to come. But tomorrow’s the latest. Please tell your people.
Here’s a picture of the book. I’m relatively pleased with all my books, but I particularly like the look and feel of this one. If you get hold of one, please appear in public reading it as often as possible.
Here’s Jace Wilder and me having a public conversation on the subject of Transformative Justice at the Bunch Library just the other day. Luke Litz took the photo.
Jace is a recent Belmont graduate who’s currently enrolled at Vanderbilt Medical School. Jace is also the education manager for the Tennessee Equality Project. I’m proud to be associated with him. This is the kind of content Jace puts out there:
“We Are A Beginning” is a lovely song Sarah wrote many years ago. I have a habit of saying the words—We are a beginning—many times as day as a way of calling in (rather than calling out) whoever I’m talking to and, I think, reminding whoever I’m around that we have the power to redeem the work of fools (Thank you, Patti Smith). We do and we are. Thanks for reading these words and considering them.
I would love to come to hear you speak today, but I will be working until about six! However, I did go by Parnassus to grab your book and evidently it doesn’t come in until next week – – I’m so excited, can’t wait to read it!