Join authors Angela Herrington and Cait West for a conversation about the impacts of Christian patriarchy. 

Angela Herrington’s newest work, Embracing the Old Witch in the Woods, is perfect for readers looking to challenge limiting beliefs, confront systemic injustices, and reclaim their inherent worth and wisdom. 

You can RSVP here: https://events.humanitix.com/angela-herrington-and-cait-west-sbgr

About the Book:

"Through themes of aging, pleasure, intuition, and emotional expression, Herrington invites a return to the body as a trusted partner rather than something to conquer or correct." --Booklist

Untangle from patriarchal Christian attitudes toward women, and tap into the deep well of feminine wisdom.

Christian patriarchy teaches that women are dangerous, manipulative, and untrustworthy. Whether painting women as the archetypal old witch in the woods or the biblical temptress, toxic religion vilifies their wisdom and uses fear to maintain male power. And these harmful stereotypes aren't just historical; they persist in modern religious, societal, and political rhetoric, where confident women are called "nasty" or "radical."

But there's something they don't want you to know about that old witch in the woods: She deeply trusts her sacred gifts and hard-earned wisdom. Embracing the Old Witch in the Woods is an invitation to reconnect with feminine wisdom that has been dismissed, maligned, and even persecuted over the centuries. When women lean into this wisdom, they learn how to trust their intuition, draw on their creativity, and lead with empathy.

Christian patriarchy separates us from ourselves, each other, and our Creator as well as from the traditions, practices, and stories that should have been passed down through generations. Angela J. Herrington draws on more than a decade of experience as a faith deconstruction coach and seminary-trained online pastor to offer practical strategies and practices for readers to rediscover and tap into deep ancestral knowledge that once defined and empowered women.

Embracing the Old Witch in the Woods is a road map for readers to challenge limiting beliefs, confront systemic injustices, and reclaim their inherent worth and wisdom. When we reclaim feminine wisdom, we liberate ourselves, our communities, and our souls, gaining strength and resilience through our connection to ourselves and to each other.

About Angela:

Angela J. Herrington is a faith deconstruction coach and seminary-trained online pastor who has spent more than a decade helping people break free from toxic religious culture. She is host of the Deconstructing Faith Summit, a Lark's Song Certified Life Coach, a dynamic conference speaker, and author of Deconstructing Your Faith without Losing Yourself. Her work has been featured in The New Republic, Religion News Service, Hope for Women magazine and Authority Magazine. She lives with her husband and five children in Marion, Indiana, when they are not traveling the US in their RV.

Join authors Cait West and Sarah Stankorb for a discussion about the impact of Christian patriarchy, a school of thought that teaches women's submission to their father, then husband, and is practiced in some high-control churches. By sharing their personal stories, as well as stories of other women in the church, Cait and Sarah voice the possibility of exposing wrongdoing, changing the narrative, breaking free from unrealistic expectations, and building a better future.

This event is free to attend, however, it helps us in planning to receive your RSVP. Please register here so we know you plan to join us: RSVP.

The authors’ books will be available for purchase and signing at the event.

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About Sarah Stankorb:

SARAH STANKORB has written hundreds of reported articles and essays, which have appeared in publications, including: The Washington Post, The New York Times, Vogue, Marie Claire, Glamour, and VICE. She was born in Youngstown, Ohio, and as a kid, often found escape in books. She studied religion and philosophy at Westminster College, and ethics and South Asian religion and history at the University of Chicago’s Divinity School. Her beat spans religion, politics, gender, and power, but is informed by questions of basic morality. This means investigating wrongdoing; it can mean reporting on how people find the strength to prevail. Sarah lives in Ohio with her husband and two children.

This multi-author event offers a trauma-informed space of deep listening as together we explore ways of processing religious/spiritual trauma, abuse, and pain through writing. Through personal memoirs, fiction, and academic research, each of these (im)Pure Michigan authors has found their works to be avenues of processing and naming wrongs. Join us as together we lean into journeys of breaking free from pain and finding healing together.

Each session will consist of the authors sharing sections of their respective books followed by moderated Q&A and an opportunity to take home their works. GVSU students will receive a discounted rate for book purchases. 

Session 1: Breaking Up with Purity Culture will take place in the afternoon on the Allendale Campus and Session 2: Processing Religious Trauma Through Art will take place in downtown Grand Rapids on the GVSU Health Campus. Register here for one or both sessions.. 

The event will feature:

• Cait West - Michigan State graduate in creative writing and publishing, and author of Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy (2024).

• Dr. Sara Moslener - writer, researcher, and lecturer in Central Michigan University's Department of Philosophy, Anthropology, and Religion, and author of Virgin Nation: Sexual Purity and American Adolescence (2015) and the forthcoming After Purity: Race, Sex, and Religion in White Christian America.

• Dawn Burns - assistant professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures, and author of fiction and creative nonfiction, including Evangelina Everyday (2022).

These conversations are brought to you by the Kaufman Interfaith Institute, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., and GVSU's 2025 Sex Ed Week committee.

This multi-author event offers a trauma-informed space of deep listening as together we explore ways of processing religious/spiritual trauma, abuse, and pain through writing. Through personal memoirs, fiction, and academic research, each of these (im)Pure Michigan authors has found their works to be avenues of processing and naming wrongs. Join us as together we lean into journeys of breaking free from pain and finding healing together.

Each session will consist of the authors sharing sections of their respective books followed by moderated Q&A and an opportunity to take home their works. GVSU students will receive a discounted rate for book purchases. 

Session 1: Breaking Up with Purity Culture will take place in the afternoon on the Allendale Campus and Session 2: Processing Religious Trauma Through Art will take place in downtown Grand Rapids on the GVSU Health Campus. Register here for one or both sessions.. 

The event will feature:

• Cait West - Michigan State graduate in creative writing and publishing, and author of Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy (2024).

• Dr. Sara Moslener - writer, researcher, and lecturer in Central Michigan University's Department of Philosophy, Anthropology, and Religion, and author of Virgin Nation: Sexual Purity and American Adolescence (2015) and the forthcoming After Purity: Race, Sex, and Religion in White Christian America.

• Dawn Burns - assistant professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures, and author of fiction and creative nonfiction, including Evangelina Everyday  (2022).--

These conversations are brought to you by the Kaufman Interfaith Institute, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., and GVSU's 2025 Sex Ed Week committee.

Author Cait West joins Abbi Nye from CFCtoo for a frank conversation between two homeschooled daughters.

Cait and Abbi explore the intersections between Christian patriarchy, homeschooling, and religious trauma through Cait’s memoir, Rift.

This is a virtual event and will begin at 4:00 pm EST.

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Join us for an insightful evening with Blake Chastain, author of Exvangelical & Beyond: How American Christianity Went Radical and the Movement That’s Fighting Back. Chastain—pioneer of the #Exvangelical movement and host of the Exvangelical podcast—delves into the intersection of evangelicalism, politics, and culture in the United States, exploring why so many people are leaving the church and speaking out.

About the Book:

In Exvangelical & Beyond, Chastain blends history, personal narrative, and incisive analysis to reveal evangelicalism's roots in conservative politics, its media influence, and the growing exvangelical community that’s fostering healing and new conversations. From Trumpism to purity culture to the rise of online movements, this book unpacks the radical transformation within American Christianity—and the movement fighting back.

Whether you’re deconstructing your faith, curious about changes in religious culture, or want to understand the landscape of modern spirituality better, this event is for you.

About the Author:

Blake Chastain is the creator of #Exvangelical, host of the Exvangelical podcast, and writer of The Post-Evangelical Post. His work has been featured in The New York Times, VICE, and The New Republic.

🎟️ This event is free, but space is limited. Reserve your ticket now at fablesbooks.com/events. Books will be available for purchase before and during the event.

📖 Come ready to learn, reflect, and connect—because stories like these remind us of the power of community, conversation, and change.

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Hosted by Syracuse-Turkey Creek Township Public Library

A discussion will occur at 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, in the library’s downstairs meeting room. During the discussion, members will virtually meet the author and be able to ask questions.

Copies are available at the library. Digital e-book copies are available on Hoopla and Libby.

For information, email Emilia at elayne@syracuse.lib.in.us.

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Cait West and Kim Oclon read and have a discussion with the moderators in this month’s installment of the Dunes Literary Series. The reading will take place over Zoom, so please register below for your free ticket.

Hosted by the Department of English at Indiana University Northwest

7:30 pm Eastern time

Register here

Bonnie Jo Campbell with Cait West, celebrating the release of the paperback edition of THE WATERS

This powerful new documentary from Kristin Kobes Du Mez, the creator/author of Jesus and John Wayne, highlights how a culture of submission and sexual abuse in the evangelical church ties directly to Christian nationalist political aims that negatively impact women.

in Seminary DeVos Auditorium as part of Unlearn Week

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Join us for a film screening and critical conversation about abuse in the church and the lack of accountability which perpetuates harm. Learn more about a call to action to create change and a movement to believe victims and support survivors.

Sponsored by Safe Haven Ministries

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Get tickets here

Knickerbocker Theatre in Downtown Holland

General Seating. Movie starts at 7:00pm. Doors open at 6:30pm.

Adults $9

Seniors $7

Hope Students, Faculty and Staff are Free. Please show your ID at the door.

Purchase tickets here

About the film: From Kristin Kobes Du Mez, the creator/author of Jesus and John Wayne, comes a powerful new documentary highlighting how a culture of submission and sexual abuse in the evangelical church ties directly to the Christian nationalist quest to use the outcome of the 2024 election to deprive all American women of basic democratic rights. FOR OUR DAUGHTERS speaks to all women of faith, encouraging them to use their voices and their votes to ensure that their daughters will have the rights to health and happiness guaranteed to all Americans.

Hosted by Cait West

Saturday, September 28, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time

RSVP here

Video link will be provided via email

About the film: From Kristin Kobes Du Mez, the creator/author of Jesus and John Wayne, comes a powerful new documentary highlighting how a culture of submission and sexual abuse in the evangelical church ties directly to the Christian nationalist quest to use the outcome of the 2024 election to deprive all American women of basic democratic rights. FOR OUR DAUGHTERS speaks to all women of faith, encouraging them to use their voices and their votes to ensure that their daughters will have the rights to health and happiness guaranteed to all Americans.

Authors promote their books. Readers meet local authors & get signed books. Everyone mingle with discount literary-themed cocktails, mocktails, & wine flights.

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Join Dawn Burns, Sara Moslener, Sarah Carson, and Cait West for a reading and conversation about evangelical purity culture. Books will be available for sale and signing.

Join Queer and Exvangelical creatives from the Lightbug Collective for an immersive free workshop in art and writing designed to illuminate your soul, spark renewal, and set your world ablaze, followed by a reading and conversation that stems from their experiences with Evangelical purity culture, religious trauma, and the complexities of being human in the world. Hear how these writers and artists have moved "From Ashes to Art" in their own transformations as they share their stories with others.

Workshop at Ivy Tech Community College, noon to 2 p.m.

Reading & Conversation at Warsaw Community Public Library. 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

RSVP for workshop to dawnburns42@gmail.com

Sponsored by The Word House, Ivy Tech Community College, and The Lightbug Collective

Hosts: Zee the Goblin, Sara Moslener, Dawn Burns, and Cait West

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Facebook event page for reading/conversation

Join two local authors whose work unapologetically centers and empowers the voice of women in the 21st century for a discussion of a new book heraldered by Publishers Weekly as “A powerful meditation on what it means to be trapped and what it takes to break free.”

Register here (option for a free ticket or ticket with a signed copy of Rift)

Join us for an evening with three incredible authors, Cait West, Katherine Spearing and Shelly Snow Pordea to celebrate their newest books!

Doors open at 6:30pm.

There will be a signing line after the event. Individuals are welcome to bring books from home! Books will also be for sale:

Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy by Cait West

Hartfords by Katherine Spearing

The Cheating Wife by Shelly Snow Pordea

Find free tickets at the link below:

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Join Michigan authors Cait West, Dawn Burns, and Sara Moslener for a literary evening in discussion about their books, which will be available for purchase:

• Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy by Cait West

• Evangelina Everyday by Dawn Burns

• Virgin Nation: Sexual Purity and American Adolescence by Sara Moslener

Free to attend but RSVPs are encouraged.

RSVP here!

Breaking Away from Purity Culture: Author Talk & Book Signing with Cait West, Sara Moslener, and Dawn Burns

Join authors Cait West (author of Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy), Sara Moslener (author of Virgin Nation), and Dawn Burns (author of Evangelina Everyday) for a night of healing and inspiration. They will discuss religious trauma, purity culture, and how we can move forward toward a better future.

The Evangelical Purity Movement, which began in the early 1990s, established a sexual ethic based on strict gender roles, racial purity, and control over women's bodies. It promoted abstinence-only and used a narrow interpretation of the Bible to justify shame and control over women's bodies, resulting in trauma that is still felt today, decades later. Midwest authors Cait West, Sara Moslener, and Dawn Burns have come together to shed light on the harms of the Evangelical Purity Movement and the Christian Patriarchy and to offer stories of healing and inspiration.

This event is FREE and open to everyone. At the end of the authors' talk, audience members can participate in a Q&A session. All three authors will also be available to sign copies of their books. Books are available in-store or online before and after the event.

10% of all Sales on Sunday, July 14th, will go to Goshen Pride. 

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Join Cait West and Liz Charlotte Grant for a discussion about Cait's debut book, RIFT: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy.

Ticket purchase required to attend and includes a signed copy of RIFT.

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On the first Friday of each month, Books & Mortar stays open late to celebrate local authors!

Guest speaker: Cait West, “Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy”

Noon PST/ 3 pm EST

Secular AZ is a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization that  protects the constitutional separation of church and state and educates lawmakers and the public to ensure freedom of conscience for Arizonans of all faiths and of none.

For more information, visit the Secular AZ website.

Register here.

Come hang out with Cait West and friends at Nomadic Outpost Beer Garden! Homeschool alumni, Vision Forum survivors, and readers of all kinds are welcome. We'll hang out, have good food and drinks, and maybe share some stories. We'd love for you to join us!

Join Cait West and Bekah McNeel for a discussion about Cait's debut book, RIFT: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Parking is free in the Koehler Garage for two hours.

Preorder your copy of Rift from The Twig

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Join Cait West and Jennifer Mathieu (author of MOXIE) for a discussion about Cait's debut book, RIFT: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy.

Books to be signed must be purchased directly from Brazos Bookstore.

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Brazos Event Page

Hell's 7th annual summer festival. A family-friendly, but Hellishly fun festival to celebrate the heat of Hell in the summer. Take a stroll on Hell's grounds and enjoy kookie, spooky, creepy, Halloweenish and Hellish wares, art, and damn good food. Plus Buddy Keys returns to entertain the masses! Free admission and free parking.

Cait West, Dawn Burns, and Sara Moslener will be selling and signing copies of their books, as well as hosting a featured reading time for local authors.

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