The Morrill Memorial Library is offering a Zoom presentation with Rev. Ann Kansfield, author of Be the Brave One: Living Your Spiritual Values Out Loud and Other Life Lessons, in conversation with local pastor Rev. Michele Bagby Allan on Monday, June 27 at 7:00pm, in honor of Pride Month.

On September 11, 2001, Ann Kansfield, a successful Wall Street broker who had spent years laying a path of achievements, stood on the doorstep of profound change. The city she loved was in turmoil, and a calling to help others was emerging from deep within her. Part memoir and part spiritual formation guide, Kansfield's Be the Brave One relays her stunning transformation from a "run-of-the-mill capitalist jerk" into a wife, mother, and pastor committed to feeding the poor at her church in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The first female and openly gay chaplain at the New York Fire Department, and voted the inaugural New York Times New Yorker of the Year, Kansfield uses her wit and knack for accessible storytelling to reveal how an adventurous faith rooted in living out your convictions can bring about radical change in the world. From authenticity and courage, to perseverance and gratitude, in Kansfield's journey you will find the insight and tools to name and claim your own core spiritual values. Tonight, she will join local pastor Rev. Michele Bagby Allan in conversation about her experiences, her writing, and the intersections of faith and queerness.

About the author: Ann Kansfield is a UCC minister who serves both as a pastor at the Greenpoint Reformed Church and as a chaplain with the Fire Department of the City of New York. She's energetic, humorous, and entertaining while also being very serious about the ministry of the gospel. She lives a block from Times Square with her wife and their two middle school aged children. Ann's first book, Be the Brave One, was recently published by Broadleaf Books.

This program is generously sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Registration is required. Please sign up using the form below, or call the Reference Desk at 781-769-0200 x2. Zoom access details will be sent out the day before and the day of the program.