A few years back Chrissy Stroop and Lauren O’Neal put out a call to writers to submit essays about their stories of leaving the church. Two amazing things happened.
1. My essay, Fundamentalist, made the cut along with a bunch of incredible essays which were collected in an anthology called Empty the Pews: Stories of Leaving the Church. It was just reviewed in the Washington Post.
2. Chrissy and I became friends, which led to our piloting a podcast with our friend Deepak Singh called Global Crossroads. We interviewed Mona Eltahawy, Jeff Sharlet (part 1 and 2), as well as activist Anjali Enjeti before Deepak realized he needed to step back due to teaching responsibilities. However, Chrissy and I are in the process of planning a new podcast. More on that soon.
I had surgery in both arms last year which meant I couldn’t write for over a year. It was intense. I’m all better now. I have even begun working out again.
I ended up quitting my job to focus on writing full time. I’m in the middle of the best revision of Unreformed yet, which not only focuses on the reform school experience, but also frames my life in the context of the Religious Right. I’ve given myself a month to complete it, fingers crossed.
However, given the constraints, I didn’t really promote the incredible interviews I conducted for Electric Lit last year, from great people like Susan Orlean, Kristen Arnett, Tyrese Coleman, Ibram X Kendi, Mona Eltahawy, and Ijeoma Oluo. Links are in the Interviews by Sugiuchi section. I loved all their books. Enjoy!
Lastly, a lot of people leave comments. Thank you so much for visiting and engaging with my work. It’s so strange. In real life I’m kind of a private person. Part of me absolutely hates putting myself out here like this. However it’s my only way of making meaning of what happened to me, of what happened to us all. It’s my way of fighting back as our individual civil liberties are collectively being stripped by the Religious Right. When I read your stories, I realize that my putting myself out there helps others. It makes it all worthwhile.
While I appreciate your comments, I KNOW I am terrible about responding. Know that it’s not that I don’t appreciate your engagement, but has everything to do with my revising my book, editing a few side projects, trying to make a living writing, and, most importantly, keeping my upper body healthy by not hunching over a keyboard unless absolutely necessary. If you are an EC grad, I highly recommend connecting with others at Survivors of New Horizons Youth Ministries. I know the moderators and can attest that they create a welcoming space. I encourage you to join to process your experience. There are also WWASP groups for teen treatment survivors which are supportive places as well. Back in the day when I was processing everything, online private spaces were amazing for me. I encourage anyone with a desire to connect to start there. Know I wish you the best, sincerely.