My poetry book, Free to Roam: Poems from a Heathen Mommy, will be released on February 2nd and my launch party will be that night! Here is the Facebook event. I will read some poems and there will be a Q & A. The event begins at 7:30 pm EST.
My poetry book gives an atheist perspective on being a Midwest Mom. It is for sale on my publisher’s site freethoughthouse.com, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.
I had a lot of fun hanging out with Kansas City Oasis a couple weeks ago. Their group blew me away! I had no idea that there were active communities like theirs out there! I hope to hang out with them again sometime.
Later this month I will be speaking to Offutt Humanists and the Omaha Metro Area Humanists Association. I’m excited to meet them!
In February, I will have my launch party with my publisher and I will be speaking at Nottingham Secular Society’s Darwin Lecture.
It’s been great seeing what’s out there beyond Toledo’s city limits in hopes of building a stronger atheist community here. This has been quite an adventure!
If anyone has a group that’s curious about atheist poetry, please contact me! I would love to meet with you and read from my book!
(If you’re curious, my poetry book is called, Free to Roam: Poems from a Heathen Mommy, and will be released 2/2/21. It is for sale on my publisher’s site freethoughthouse.com, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.)
This is a poem from my upcoming book:
How do you sleep?
Indigo rain cleansing my brain
after a restless night of “soul searching”.
Relief comes when you realize god isn’t real
and you’re released from your rusty chains.
An outlook of debilitating winter
melts and sizzles into freedom.
Like fresh linen under the morning sun —
I put my heart out on the line and won.
I’m the shy queen of my ruby paradise
which resides right here on earth.
I no longer yearn for a flimsy mystery in the clouds.
Breathe deep into the truth and sleep peacefully.
What was your “soul searching” like? How many religions/spiritual beliefs did you go through before concluding god isn’t real?
I went to church with friends for a short time when I was younger. I just didn’t get it. I couldn’t see what everybody else saw and everything seemed ridiculous. Then as a teen, I dabbled in Wicca. With a foundation in nature it made a teeny bit more sense than Christianity, but not much. I remember feeling a lot of confusion growing up. Then at 21, I declared I was an atheist and things were simple and clear.
So what’s your story? Did you try out other religions?
(If you’re curious, my poetry book is called, Free to Roam: Poems from a Heathen Mommy, and will be released 2/2/21. It is for sale on my publisher’s site freethoughthouse.com, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.)
In February, I will be talking about my poetry book at the Nottingham Secular Society Darwin Lecture. (Virtually of course.) I have never been to the UK and I’m really curious to learn what life is like there as an atheist. I’m guessing it’s pretty different from my life in Ohio.
So fill me in — what’s it like there?
Do I sit quietly or fight? I feel this is a question that’s been floating around in my brain for my whole life.
I grew up in the rural Midwest, and although my own family wasn’t very religious, I was completely surrounded by Christianity in our community. I didn’t consider myself an atheist growing up, but I sure as hell wasn’t a Christian like my neighbors and friends. I was a skeptic even as a kid and Christianity was the biggest, most annoying thorn in my side. I didn’t know what brainwashing meant back then, but I knew Bible stories were pretty ridiculous and I just couldn’t understand how anyone could believe them. There was obviously something wrong with me. At the time it felt like there was no escape and I would be looked down upon forever.
I went to public school and my education should have felt like a sanctuary, but people from where I’m from know that public school doesn’t mean secular. Religious posters donned the walls of many of our classrooms and many of our school functions began or ended with a prayer — the most visible being our football games.
This brings me to one of the proudest moments of my high school career. I was a senior and didn’t give a fuck. I knew I was getting the hell out of town when I left for college and the entire year my dad kept pleading with me, “just graduate!” I was in the marching band and decided to walk out of the stadium during the last prayer of the game. I was the beaming recipient of an after-school detention. I don’t really remember my parents saying anything to me about it. I probably just got another “just graduate!”
Like many wayward teenagers, I dabbled a bit in Wicca. The school guidance counselor called me to her office and questioned me when I came to school wearing a necklace with a pentagram on it. She said she just wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to hurt anybody. Another trouble-making friend of mine got a Book of Shadows taken away from her at school.
I was a lot more vocal when I was younger.
Fast forward to now and I’m living in Toledo, Ohio — about forty miles from where I grew up — with a family of my own. I have many years of solid atheism under my belt but the stakes are higher now. I’m scared to speak out. I have a daughter and I have to think about my job. If I live openly as an atheist things could be a lot harder. Even though I grew up in the country and Toledo is a city, it’s still pretty conservative here. Ridicule and discrimination are real possibilities if I speak out against religion or reveal that I’m an atheist.
So, that question comes up again — do I sit quietly or fight?
Next month my poetry book will be released — it’s all about being an atheist mom in the Midwest. Having a book published feels like a pretty public admission of atheism, and I’ve decided if people around here find out about the book, I’ll let the chips fall where they may. Maybe I won’t be shouting from the rooftops of Toledo that I reject religion, but if it comes up — no more hiding. I’m an atheist.
(If you’re curious, my poetry book is called, Free to Roam: Poems from a Heathen Mommy, and will be released 2/2/21. It is for sale on my publisher’s site freethoughthouse.com, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.)
We all know 2020 has been challenging to say the very least, but I think 2021 offers hope. I doubt things will ever go back to the normal we knew, but we’re resilient and change can be for the better.
This pandemic has been a period of growth for me — as a mother and writer since I spent a lot more time doing both. I’m excited to see where this growth will take me.
2021 — I’m ready for you!
And a book update —
My poetry book, Free to Roam: Poems from a Heathen Mommy, will be released on February 2nd. It is for sale on my publisher’s site freethoughthouse.com, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.
Happy New Year to you all!
This past Monday I spoke with Great Lakes Atheists about my blog and upcoming poetry book, Free to Roam: Poems From a Heathen Mommy. I can’t even tell you how amazing it is to find a group like this right here in Toledo. Being an atheist can be pretty lonely in the Midwest so I never really expected to find like-minded people in my own community. I appreciate their kind words and support and I look forward to participating in other meetings and events with them.
My poetry book will be released on February 2nd and it can be pre-ordered here on Amazon.
Yesterday was a very uneventful Thanksgiving thanks to the pandemic. My daughter is young enough to not really grasp that we missed a major holiday but old enough to really miss her Pop Pop as well as the rest of the family.
Here are two more letters.
Dear daughter,
One word: glitter. You love arts and crafts and have been asking for glitter for a while, and against our better judgment, daddy and I gave in a bought you some two weeks ago. You’ve made some pretty awesome pictures with it, but it’s everywhere. It’s on the floor, in the rug, in the sink, and this morning I even found a couple of flecks in our bed. Even though our house will never be free of glitter again, it was worth it. You are so happy when you are creating art.
You’re four years old right now and the walls of our little house are covered with your beautiful artwork. Since I’m an artist myself, I couldn’t be happier that you have shown a strong interest in art. Maybe it’s a little selfish of me, but I hope that interest never dies.
It doesn’t matter what I want — I know you will do your own thing and I will support you no matter what.
You seem to be turning into a very passionate person and I hope that continues. Never give up on the things you love.
Your artwork is beautiful, and it has made our home and lives beautiful as well.
Love,
Mom
Dear daughter,
If someone can’t produce conclusive evidence, whatever it is they are trying to convince you of isn’t true.
Evidence is everything.
This is my biggest problem with religion — they can’t back up anything they claim. They control people’s lives with their teachings yet there isn’t a single piece of evidence proving that what they preach is true.
If religion did produce conclusive evidence, I would become a believer.
This doesn’t just go for religion. Question the things around you. Unfortunately, we live in a world where people are led by falsehoods.
This decision-making process is a simple concept. It’s a black and white issue. You either have evidence or you don’t and I will adjust my thinking accordingly.
If you are presented with new evidence, don’t be afraid to change your opinion. That’s what skeptics and critical thinkers do.
You’re smart — protect yourself and defend the truth.
Love,
Mom
My husband, being the passionate social justice warrior that he is, shared this zine with me today on racial capitalism and prison abolition. I wasn’t feeling well today so it was nice to have something to read to try and take my mind off my stomach ache. I don’t always fully grasp some of the issues my husband discusses but this zine really spells it out. Please share far and wide.
Dear daughter,
By now I have probably taken you to see the rural area where I grew up. Life is different there — my childhood looked a lot different from yours. There weren’t a lot of opportunities out there but I was very fortunate because grandpa had the means for us to travel, take classes, and just get out of the area occasionally. I knew there was a whole world out there and many of the people I grew up with never saw that. I’m not trying to put anyone down — I had a great childhood there. I just knew when it was time for me to leave.
Whenever grandpa made opportunities available for me outside of our rural area, he always told me to be a sponge and just absorb everything I can. He specifically said this before I left for my exchange year in Denmark. After spending some time abroad, I knew exactly what he meant and I was thankful for his advice. I took in as much as I could while I was in Denmark and it affected me greatly — it affects me to this day. Seeing a different way of life made me want to improve my own.
So now I’m saying the same to you — be a sponge. You undoubtedly will have many different experiences growing up and I’m happy that we live in a diverse area with many opportunities. Definitely take advantage of that. Who knows where life will take you.
By the way, I am also secretly hoping you will get the chance to study abroad. It is absolutely life-changing.
Love,
Mom