See a the book trailer and a preview of the reading in the brief videos below:
UPDATED WITH VIDEO
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2023, 6:45–8:15 P.M., in person in Bloedel Hall and online via Zoom. Optional community dinner at 6 p.m. ($6/child; $8/adult; $25/max. family).
Join us for an evening of storytelling and conversation with Irish writer Gareth Higgins, author of How Not to Be Afraid.
Brian McLaren says Gareth’s new book How Not to be Afraid is “a beautiful book,” Kathleen Norris says it’s “a necessary book,” and Micky ScottBey Jones says it’s “a much-needed resource for skill-building through our fear and trauma, so that we might create the belonging and communities we desire.” Nadia Bolz-Weber says “I totally trust Gareth Higgins when he writes about his own fear and how it’s actually possible to transform it into something powerful, something capable of healing us and the world.” Pádraig Ó Tuama says “Gareth Higgins is a friend. This book is too.” Find out more at hownottobeafraid.com
A complete video of the event is now available below:
How Not to Be Afraid
Fear feeds on the stories we tell ourselves, Higgins claims, and in the pages of How Not to Be Afraid, he delves into the mechanisms of fear, as well as the quiet, immense strength of individuals and communities that refuse to let it reign.
Grounded in personal experience and expert reflection on violence, conflict transformation, and trauma recovery, Higgins traces vulnerability as strength to address seven common fears that plague each of us at some point in our lives. By examining such topics as the fear of being alone, the fear of not having enough, and the fear of violence and death, he invites readers into habits of hope rooted in Celtic spirituality and the mysteries of love.
In the rich spiritual, activist, and literary tradition of Walter Wink and Kathleen Norris, Higgins points us toward tenderness, empathy, and gentle encounter with each other and with our deepest and most relentless fears. He shows us how we can replace our narratives of fear and cynicism with better stories. Peace is the way to itself, he reveals, and when we choose this path, our lives will never be the same.
Gareth Higgins was born in Belfast in 1975, grew up during the Northern Ireland Troubles, and now lives in the US. He writes and speaks about the power of storytelling to shape our lives and world, peace and making justice, and how to take life seriously without believing your own propaganda. He is the co-founder of The Porch Community, the Wild Goose Festival, The New Story Festival, and the Movies & Meaning Festival, and leads retreats in Ireland and the U.S. He is passionate about helping people discover the meaning of our own lives, and to learn from each other about how stories help us live better. www.garethhiggins.net
Program is free. Optional community dinner served at 6 p.m. ($6/child; $8/adult; $25/max. family).
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