About the 2017 Plenary Speakers
Anne Lamott is the author of several best-selling books of nonfiction, and seven novels including, Hard Laughter, Rosie, Joe Jones, Blue Shoe, All New People, Crooked Little Heart, and Imperfect Birds. She has also authored three collections of autobiographical essays on faith; Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith, and Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith. Lamott writes and speaks about subjects that begin with capital letters: Alcoholism, Motherhood, Jesus. But armed with self-effacing humor – she is laugh-out-loud funny – and ruthless honesty, Lamott converts her subjects into enchantment. In her book of non-fiction, Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers, Ms. Lamott gives us three prayers to assist us in trying times. Her book Stitches; A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair, is an honest, funny book about how to make sense of life’s chaos. Her new book of essays is called Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace (November 2014).
Diana Butler Bass is an author, speaker, and independent scholar specializing in American religion and culture. She is the author of nine books, including Grounded: Finding God in the World—A Spiritual Revolution and the widely influential Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening. Butler Bass writes for The Huffington Post and The Washington Post and comments on religion, politics, and culture in USA TODAY, Time, Newsweek, CBS, CNN, FOX, PBS, and NPR. She is a contributing editor for Sojourners magazine, and has written widely in the religious press, including The Christian Century, Clergy Journal, and Congregations. Dr. Butler Bass is the recipient of numerous grants and awards including the Frank S. and Elizabeth D. Brewer Prize of the American Society of Church History and an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from The General Theological Seminary in New York. She also serves on the board of Public Religion Research and is an advisor on the project for a National Museum of American Religion in Washington, D.C.