Greta Speaking in Washington, D.C.! Plus San Jose CA, Phoenix AZ, Chicago IL, and Charlotte NC

I’m going to be speaking in Washington, D.C. in June! It’ll be a fundraiser dinner for CFI-DC, Saturday July 12 at 6:00 pm, at Busboys and Poets (the one on 14th & V), 2021 14th St NW. Details below.

And one more reminder: The location of my San Jose talk today, April 30, has changed! It is now at Harry’s Hofbrau, 390 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose, CA. Again — details below.

Here are the details of all my confirmed speaking events for the next few months. In addition to San Francisco, I’ll be speaking in San Jose CA, Phoenix AZ (the Secular Student Alliance Conference West), Washington DC, Chicago, IL (at Humanism At Work, the Foundation Beyond Belief conference), and Charlotte, NC. If you’re in any of these places, I hope to see you there!

CITY: San Jose, CA
DATE: Wednesday, April 30
TIME: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: Harry’s Hofbrau, 390 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose, CA
HOSTS/SPONSORS: San Jose Atheists
TOPIC: Coming Out Atheist: How To Do It, How to Help Each Other Do It, And Why
SUMMARY: Coming out is the most powerful political act atheists can take. But coming out can be difficult and risky. What are some specific, practical, nuts-and-bolts strategies we can use: to come out of the closet, to support each other in coming out, and to make the atheist community a safer place to come out into? What can atheists learn about coming out from the LGBT community and their decades of coming-out experience — and what can we learn from the important differences between coming out atheist and coming out queer?
NOTE: I will be selling and signing books.
COST: Free and open to the public
EVENT URL: http://www.meetup.com/Atheist-Community-of-San-Jose/events/161081902/

CITY: Phoenix, AZ (Secular Student Alliance Conference West)
DATE: Friday, June 20 – Sunday, June 22
LOCATION: Arizona State University in Phoenix
HOSTS/SPONSORS: Secular Student Alliance
TOPIC: Coming Out Atheist: Special Student Edition
SUMMARY: Coming out is the most powerful political act atheists can take. But coming out can be difficult and risky. And students — college, high school, and earlier — face special challenges in coming out. What are some specific, practical, nuts-and-bolts strategies we can use: to come out of the closet, to support each other in coming out, and to make the atheist community a safer place to come out into?
COST: $39 – $149; group rates and travel aid are available
EVENT URL: https://www.secularstudents.org/2014con/west/

CITY: Washington, D.C.
DATE: Saturday, July 12
TIME: 6:00 pm
LOCATION: Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St NW (14th & V), Washington, D.C.
HOSTS: CFI-DC
TOPIC: Coming Out Atheist: How To Do It, How to Help Each Other Do It, And Why
SUMMARY: See above
NOTE: This will be a fundraising dinner for CFI-DC
COST: TBA

CITY: Chicago, IL (Humanism At Work, the Foundation Beyond Belief conference)
DATE: Friday July 18 – Sunday July 20
LOCATION: Hilton Rosemont/ O’Hare, Chicago, IL
HOSTS/SPONSORS: Foundation Beyond Belief
TOPIC: Coming Out Atheist — How It Helps the World
SUMMARY: Coming out is the most powerful political act atheists can take, and one of the most powerful acts we can take to make life better for ourselves and other atheists. But are there ways that coming out makes life better, not just for atheists, but for believers and the rest of the world?
OTHER SPEAKERS: Hemant Mehta, Leo Igwe, Rebecca Vitsmun, Caroline Fiennes, Brittany Shoots-Reinhard, Hemley Gonzalez, Alix Jules, Pathfinders Panel (Conor Robinson, Ben Blanchard, Michelle Huey, Wendy Webber), and more
COST: $129/ticket ($149 after April 15)
EVENT URL: http://humanismatwork.org/

CITY: Charlotte, NC (Carolinas Secular Conference)
DATES: Friday September 26 – Sunday September 28
LOCATION: Hilton Charlotte Executive Park, 5624 Westpark Dr, Charlotte, NC
HOSTS/SPONSORS: Carolinas Secular Association
TOPIC: TBA
OTHER SPEAKERS: Mandisa Thomas; Bria Crutchfield; Steve Ahlquist; Greydon Square; Harry Shaughnessy; Faisal Saeed Al Mutar; and DJ Alex Zygmunt
COST: $125. Includes the Meet and Greet which is also a costume party (costumes optional); all speaking events and workshops; and the Awards Dinner Banquet.
EVENT URL: http://www.carolinassecularassociation.org/conference/

Greta Speaking in Washington, D.C.! Plus San Jose CA, Phoenix AZ, Chicago IL, and Charlotte NC
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A Few Sound-Bitey Thoughts About Oppression

It’s easy to say that an issue isn’t real when it doesn’t affect you.

It’s easy to say that oppression is a distraction when it’s not the sea of shit you swim in every day.

It’s easy to say that social justice is divisive when the status quo isn’t cutting you out.

I’m just sayin’, is all.

Others that people would add to this?

A Few Sound-Bitey Thoughts About Oppression

“Read this book”: Amazon Review from Sara

Got a nice customer review on Amazon for Coming Out Atheist: How To Do It, How to Help Each Other Do It, And Why! Five stars out of five. (In fact, the book now has six customer reviews — and they’re all five stars out of five!) Here’s what Sara had to say:

Read this book

Read this book.

If you are an atheist, or think you might be one and are contemplating telling someone about it, but not sure how to go about it, read this book. There are chapters on everything from talking to parents, other family members, spouses and partners, kids, friends, coworkers, bosses, and strangers. There are chapters specific to conservative communities, progressive communities, other marginalized communities, and even the US military. It’s not a step by step guide; but it has lots of personal stories from people of a variety of backgrounds and situations and will definitely get you think about the factors that will be important to you when considering how – and whether – to come out. There’s also a fantastic resource guide at the back of the book.

If you are an out atheist in some areas of your life but not others, read this book. It will give you some good ideas to think about and maybe help other people along.

If you are a fully or mostly out atheist with your atheism plastered all over your Facebook, Twitter, car, and wardrobe, read this book. It will give you some great insight on issues other people from different backgrounds can face when coming out, ideas to help others, and ideas on community building, if that’s your thing.

If you’re not an atheist and have no intention of being one, you might consider reading this book too. It won’t talk you out of your theism. That’s not the point of the book. But atheism is on the rise and it’s very likely that there is someone in your life who you care about who is one and may want to talk to you about it, but won’t for fear of rejection, not being taken seriously, or anger. If the idea that someone you care about is afraid to talk to you for those reasons makes you feel bad, reading this book and getting a feel for the issues they might be experiencing may make it easier on both of you.

Thanks, Sara! And if any of you have read Coming Out Atheist, it’d be awesome if you’d post a review.

***

Here, by the way, is ordering info for the book in all three formats — print, ebook, and audiobook!

Coming Out Atheist cover 150
Ebook edition:

The Kindle edition is available on Amazon. (That’s the link for Amazon US, btw — it’s available in other regions as well.)

The Nook edition is available at Barnes & Noble.

The Smashwords edition is available on Smashwords. Right now, it’s only available on Smashwords in epub format: I’m working to make it available in other formats.

All ebook editions and formats cost just $9.99.

Print edition:

The print edition is now available through Powell’s Books.

The print edition is also available at Amazon. However, be advised (if you haven’t been already) that seriously abusive labor practices have been reported at Amazon warehouses. Please bear that in mind when you’re deciding where to buy my book — or indeed, where to buy anything. (For the records: Powell’s employees are unionized.) Again, that’s the link for Amazon US — it’s available in other regions as well.

You can also buy the print edition at your local bookstore. If they don’t currently carry it, you can special order it. (Bookstores can get it from standard wholesalers; wholesale info is below.) Support your local bookstore!

The print edition is $17.95 USD. It is published by Pitchstone Publishing.

Wholesale sales of the print edition:

Bookstores and other retailers can get the book from Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and other standard wholesale distributors. It can also be purchased directly from the publisher, Pitchstone Publishing.

Audiobook edition:

The audiobook version is available on Audible.

The audiobook is also available through Amazon.

The audiobook is also available through iTunes.

And yes, I did the recording for it!

“Read this book”: Amazon Review from Sara

Next Godless Perverts Social Club Tuesday May 6!

Godless Perverts Banner

Tuesday, May 6, is the next Godless Perverts Social Club — the casual, hanging-out social arm of the Godless Perverts empire. Join us every first Tuesday of every month at Wicked Grounds for an evening of conversation and socializing. Community is one of the reasons we started Godless Perverts. There are few enough places to land when you decide that you’re an atheist; far fewer if you’re also LGBT, queer, kinky, poly, trans, or are just interested in sexuality. And the sex-positive/ alt-sex/ whatever- you- want- to- call- it community isn’t always the most welcoming place for non-believers. So please join us on the first Tuesday of every month for an evening of conversation and socializing. All orientations, genders, and kinks (or lack thereof) are welcome.

Wicked Grounds, San Francisco’s renowned BDSM-themed coffee house, is at 289 8th Street in San Francisco, just three blocks from the Civic Center BART station. There’s no admission, but we ask that you buy food and drink at the counter, or make a donation to the venue. Wicked Grounds has yummy food and drink options ranging from full dinners to coffee and tea, with lots of snacks and baked goods and other light nosh in between, and some of the best milkshakes in the city. We’ll be there from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. You can RVSP to it on the Bay Area Atheists/Agnostics/Humanists/Freethinkers/Skeptics Meetup site if you like RSVP-ing to things. Hope to see you there!

Next Godless Perverts Social Club Tuesday May 6!

Why I Do This

So I got this comment the other day from emptyknight, responding to a post about my book Coming Out Atheist: How to Do It, How to Help Each Other, and Why:

Just got the book on Kindle this weekend, and I’m enjoying it so far! (Not that I was surprised). What did surprise me was getting a Facebook message from a distant relation, a second cousin by marriage whom I’ve never met, who was reading your book and saw my name and story and recognized me. He told me that finding this connection and reading my story, among the many others, has been very helpful to him as he tries to figure out how to come out of the atheist closet. Hopefully he’ll discover if I can survive our family as an atheist, so can he.

I don’t comment very often, but your blog was the first atheism/social justice/etc blog I found when I started looking, and I always love to read your work. I wanted you to have this story about how you are helping at least one reader, because anyone who does all the great things you do deserves some positive reinforcement.

And then, just a few hours later, I got this comment, from mistertwo:

I’m about a quarter of the way through, and I ran across a familiar surname with a backstory that couldn’t have been a coincidence. It turns out that one of the people whose story you share is my wife’s cousin’s son. A quick Facebook search confirmed this to my satisfaction, so I sent a private message to him, to which he replied briefly. He hasn’t read the book yet and didn’t know whether his story had made it in.

In any case, I’m sure I’ve seen him in the past, probably when he was just a little kid, but finding him in your book was very encouraging to me as I wouldn’t have even known otherwise that there was another atheist in the family. Now I have someone else to talk to.

A big part of your point in the book is that coming out can encourage other people, and this proves that to be the case. And it’s a direct result of my reading the book, so there are double points for encouragement.

Coming Out Atheist cover 150
I’m assuming that this is the same story, from both angles, and that these two commenters are talking about each other. (If not, that would be an amazing coincidence!) In any case, it’s making me deeply, deeply happy. This is exactly the sort of thing that so often happens when atheists come out of the closet — and it’s exactly the sort of thing I was hoping would happen as a result of people reading this book. I’m delighted to see it — and so soon after the book came out! Thanks so much to both emptyknight and mistertwo for taking the time to write — and congratulations on finding each other.

Why I Do This

“An absolutely brilliant book”: Amazon Review from Jacob Zentichko

Got a nice customer review on Amazon for Coming Out Atheist: How To Do It, How to Help Each Other Do It, And Why! Five stars out of five. (In fact, the book now has six customer reviews — and they’re all five stars out of five!) Here’s what Jacob Zentichko had to say:

A must read

This is an absolutely brilliant book. Greta Christina approaches the topic from all different angles giving a one stop source for everyone. I think there is something for everyone in this book.

Thanks, Jacob! And if any of you have read Coming Out Atheist, it’d be awesome if you’d post a review.

***

Here, by the way, is ordering info for the book in all three formats — print, ebook, and audiobook!

Coming Out Atheist cover 150
Ebook edition:

The Kindle edition is available on Amazon. (That’s the link for Amazon US, btw — it’s available in other regions as well.)

The Nook edition is available at Barnes & Noble.

The Smashwords edition is available on Smashwords. Right now, it’s only available on Smashwords in epub format: I’m working to make it available in other formats.

All ebook editions and formats cost just $9.99.

Print edition:

The print edition is now available through Powell’s Books.

The print edition is also available at Amazon. However, be advised (if you haven’t been already) that seriously abusive labor practices have been reported at Amazon warehouses. Please bear that in mind when you’re deciding where to buy my book — or indeed, where to buy anything. (For the records: Powell’s employees are unionized.) Again, that’s the link for Amazon US — it’s available in other regions as well.

You can also buy the print edition at your local bookstore. If they don’t currently carry it, you can special order it. (Bookstores can get it from standard wholesalers; wholesale info is below.) Support your local bookstore!

The print edition is $17.95 USD. It is published by Pitchstone Publishing.

Wholesale sales of the print edition:

Bookstores and other retailers can get the book from Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and other standard wholesale distributors. It can also be purchased directly from the publisher, Pitchstone Publishing.

Audiobook edition:

The audiobook version is available on Audible.

The audiobook is also available through Amazon.

The audiobook is also available through iTunes.

And yes, I did the recording for it!

“An absolutely brilliant book”: Amazon Review from Jacob Zentichko

Greta Speaking at Carolinas Secular Conference — and Location of San Jose Talk Has Changed!

Some news about upcoming speaking gigs!

I’m going to be speaking at the Carolinas Secular Conference, September 26-28, in beautiful Charlotte, North Carolina. Other speakers and performers include Mandisa Thomas; Bria Crutchfield; Steve Ahlquist; Greydon Square; Harry Shaughnessy; Faisal Saeed Al Mutar; and DJ Alex Zygmunt.

And the location of my San Jose talk this Wednesday, April 30, has changed! It is now at Harry’s Hofbrau, 390 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose, CA.

Here are the details of all my confirmed speaking events for the next few months. In addition to San Francisco, I’ll be speaking in San Jose CA, Phoenix AZ (the Secular Student Alliance Conference West), Chicago, IL (at Humanism At Work, the Foundation Beyond Belief conference), and Charlotte, NC. If you’re in any of these places, I hope to see you there!

CITY: San Jose, CA
DATE: Wednesday, April 30
TIME: 7:00 PM
LOCATION: Harry’s Hofbrau, 390 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose, CA
HOSTS/SPONSORS: San Jose Atheists
TOPIC: Coming Out Atheist: How To Do It, How to Help Each Other Do It, And Why
SUMMARY: Coming out is the most powerful political act atheists can take. But coming out can be difficult and risky. What are some specific, practical, nuts-and-bolts strategies we can use: to come out of the closet, to support each other in coming out, and to make the atheist community a safer place to come out into? What can atheists learn about coming out from the LGBT community and their decades of coming-out experience — and what can we learn from the important differences between coming out atheist and coming out queer?
NOTE: I will be selling and signing books.
COST: Free and open to the public
EVENT URL: http://www.meetup.com/Atheist-Community-of-San-Jose/events/161081902/

CITY: Phoenix, AZ (Secular Student Alliance Conference West)
DATE: Friday, June 20 – Sunday, June 22
LOCATION: Arizona State University in Phoenix
HOSTS/SPONSORS: Secular Student Alliance
TOPIC: Coming Out Atheist: Special Student Edition
SUMMARY: Coming out is the most powerful political act atheists can take. But coming out can be difficult and risky. And students — college, high school, and earlier — face special challenges in coming out. What are some specific, practical, nuts-and-bolts strategies we can use: to come out of the closet, to support each other in coming out, and to make the atheist community a safer place to come out into?
COST: $39 – $149; group rates and travel aid are available
EVENT URL: https://www.secularstudents.org/2014con/west/

CITY: Chicago, IL (Humanism At Work, the Foundation Beyond Belief conference)
DATE: Friday July 18 – Sunday July 20
LOCATION: Hilton Rosemont/ O’Hare, Chicago, IL
HOSTS/SPONSORS: Foundation Beyond Belief
TOPIC: Coming Out Atheist — How It Helps the World
SUMMARY: Coming out is the most powerful political act atheists can take, and one of the most powerful acts we can take to make life better for ourselves and other atheists. But are there ways that coming out makes life better, not just for atheists, but for believers and the rest of the world?
OTHER SPEAKERS: Hemant Mehta, Leo Igwe, Rebecca Vitsmun, Caroline Fiennes, Brittany Shoots-Reinhard, Hemley Gonzalez, Alix Jules, Pathfinders Panel (Conor Robinson, Ben Blanchard, Michelle Huey, Wendy Webber), and more
COST: $129/ticket ($149 after April 15)
EVENT URL: http://humanismatwork.org/

CITY: Charlotte, NC (Carolinas Secular Conference)
DATES: Friday September 26 – Sunday September 28
LOCATION: Hilton Charlotte Executive Park, 5624 Westpark Dr, Charlotte, NC
HOSTS/SPONSORS: Carolinas Secular Association
TOPIC: TBA
OTHER SPEAKERS: Mandisa Thomas; Bria Crutchfield; Steve Ahlquist; Greydon Square; Harry Shaughnessy; Faisal Saeed Al Mutar; and DJ Alex Zygmunt
COST: $125. Includes the Meet and Greet which is also a costume party (costumes optional); all speaking events and workshops; and the Awards Dinner Banquet.
EVENT URL: http://www.carolinassecularassociation.org/conference/

Greta Speaking at Carolinas Secular Conference — and Location of San Jose Talk Has Changed!

Greta’s Interview with “Point of Inquiry” Podcast!

point of inquiry logo
I have a cool interview up with Lindsay Beyerstein at CFI’s Point of Inquiry podcast!

We talked about why people would want to come out as an atheist; how being closeted makes us internalize the stigma against atheists; whether atheists coming out increases the number of atheists in the world; similarities and differences between different kinds of coming out (as atheist, as LGBT, as kinky, as a sex worker, and more); different ways to come out as an atheist; using softer language to come out versus using more blunt language; coming out gradually versus coming out all at once; what I learned about families from researching Coming Out Atheist; some of the things that surprised me in researching the book; the story of the atheist on the roof; how racial, ethnic, gender, and other marginalized identities can affect coming out as an atheist; why feminist and LGBT communities often embrace progressive religion; and more. Enjoy!

*****

And here, once again, is ordering info for Coming Out Atheist: How to Do It, How to Help Each Other, and Why, in print, ebook, and audiobook.

Coming Out Atheist cover 150
Ebook edition:

The Kindle edition is available on Amazon. (That’s the link for Amazon US, btw — it’s available in other regions as well.)

The Nook edition is available at Barnes & Noble.

The Smashwords edition is available on Smashwords. Right now, it’s only available on Smashwords in epub format: I’m working to make it available in other formats.

All ebook editions and formats cost just $9.99.

Print edition:

The print edition is now available through Powell’s Books.

The print edition is also available at Amazon. However, be advised (if you haven’t been already) that seriously abusive labor practices have been reported at Amazon warehouses. Please bear that in mind when you’re deciding where to buy my book — or indeed, where to buy anything. (For the records: Powell’s employees are unionized.) Again, that’s the link for Amazon US — it’s available in other regions as well.

You can also buy the print edition at your local bookstore. If they don’t currently carry it, you can special order it. (Bookstores can get it from standard wholesalers; wholesale info is below.) Support your local bookstore!

The print edition is $17.95 USD. It is being published by Pitchstone Publishing.

Wholesale sales of the print edition:

Bookstores and other retailers can get the book from Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and other standard wholesale distributors. It can also be purchased directly from the publisher, Pitchstone Publishing.

Audiobook edition:

The audiobook version is available on Audible.

The audiobook is also available through Amazon.

The audiobook is also available through iTunes.

And yes, I did the recording for it!

Greta’s Interview with “Point of Inquiry” Podcast!

Why Do Many Religious Believers Want to Silence Atheists?

Why do so many religious believers want atheists to lie about our atheism?

It seems backward. Believers are always telling atheists that we need religion for morality; that we have to believe because without religion, people would have no reason not to murder and steal and lie. And yet, all too often, they ask us to lie. When atheists come out of the closet and tell the people in our lives that we don’t believe in God, all too often the reaction is to try to shove us back in.

In some cases, they simply want us to keep our mouths shut: when the topic of religion comes up, they want us to tell the lie of omission. But much of the time, they actually ask us to lie outright. They ask us to lie to other family members. They ask us to attend church or other religious services. They sometimes even ask us to perform important religious rituals, like funerals or confirmations, where we’re not just lying to the people around us, but to the god they supposedly believe in.

Why would they do this?

*****

Thus begins my latest piece for AlterNet, Why Do Many Religious Believers Want to Silence Atheists? To read more about how this phenomenon plays out, and what I think is motivating it, read the rest of the piece. Enjoy!

Why Do Many Religious Believers Want to Silence Atheists?

“The book is beautifully written”: Amazon Review from Barbara A. Meissner

Got a nice customer review on Amazon for Coming Out Atheist: How To Do It, How to Help Each Other Do It, And Why! Five stars out of five. (In fact, the book now has six customer reviews — and they’re all five stars out of five!) Here’s what Barbara A. Meissner had to say:

Good advice

What I like about this book is that Christina has really considered a great many different situations that the atheist about to come out may face, even including when it might be best NOT to come out. She is acknowledges that the bias against and even fear of atheists may lead to real trouble in families, and her compassion for the distress of family members is striking, yet she also advises not taking too much abuse for being honest. She has collected stories from hundreds of atheists and used their experiences to inform her thoughts on the subject. The book is beautifully written. I can recommend it to any closeted atheists and also to those of us who are well and truly out.

Thanks, Barbara! And if any of you have read Coming Out Atheist, it’d be awesome if you’d post a review.

***

Here, by the way, is ordering info for the book in all three formats — print, ebook, and audiobook!

Coming Out Atheist cover 150
Ebook edition:

The Kindle edition is available on Amazon. (That’s the link for Amazon US, btw — it’s available in other regions as well.)

The Nook edition is available at Barnes & Noble.

The Smashwords edition is available on Smashwords. Right now, it’s only available on Smashwords in epub format: I’m working to make it available in other formats.

All ebook editions and formats cost just $9.99.

Print edition:

The print edition is now available through Powell’s Books.

The print edition is also available at Amazon. However, be advised (if you haven’t been already) that seriously abusive labor practices have been reported at Amazon warehouses. Please bear that in mind when you’re deciding where to buy my book — or indeed, where to buy anything. (For the records: Powell’s employees are unionized.) Again, that’s the link for Amazon US — it’s available in other regions as well.

You can also buy the print edition at your local bookstore. If they don’t currently carry it, you can special order it. (Bookstores can get it from standard wholesalers; wholesale info is below.) Support your local bookstore!

The print edition is $17.95 USD. It is published by Pitchstone Publishing.

Wholesale sales of the print edition:

Bookstores and other retailers can get the book from Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and other standard wholesale distributors. It can also be purchased directly from the publisher, Pitchstone Publishing.

Audiobook edition:

The audiobook version is available on Audible.

The audiobook is also available through Amazon.

The audiobook is also available through iTunes.

And yes, I did the recording for it!

“The book is beautifully written”: Amazon Review from Barbara A. Meissner