PUBLIC APPEARANCES THIS WEEK: GOD GIRL AND HER FACTOR

MONDAY NOV. 13 @ 7:30 P.M.
Loyola University 2006-2007 Chapel Lecture Series

Upcoming Speaker:
“Surprised by God: Sacred Encounters in Unexpected Places”
Cathleen Falsani

From the Holy See, the Caribbean and Northern Ireland to the West Wing, the Playboy Mansion and the dugout at Wrigley Field, for the last decade Cathleen Falsani, religion writer for the Chicago Sun-Times, has covered the intersection of religion and culture. Religion at its worst can divide us – into “evil doers” and heroes, Red States and Blue States, martyr and infidel – but it also has the power to unite us in the most profound ways. At a time when it is increasingly acceptable to discuss spiritual matters in public (and even at dinner parties), Falsani continues to chronicle our common search for meaning, transcendence, and the sacred.

Mundelein Center Auditorium,
6525 N. Sheridan Road
A reception follows the lecture.
Parking is available in the main structure – $6.00

Cathleen Falsani is a religion writer for the Chicago Sun-times. In her critically acclaimed new book The God Factor: Inside the Spiritual Lives of Public People, Falsani has been interested in “discovering God in the places some people say God isn’t supposed to be” – interviewed more than thirty “culture shapers,” from Elie Wiesel and Barack Obama to Anne Rice and Billy Corgan. Through her intimate, often surprising conversations with these public people, she discovered private folks whose spiritual lives mirror those of the rest of us, as they wrestle with faith, doubt, and how to live as a believer (or not). The God Factor paints a spiritual portrait of popular culture that shows, through the compelling voices of strangers with familiar faces, how society is changing and how faith, essentially, is not.

THURSDAY, NOV. 16 — HOLIDAY BOOK BASH @ GALLERIA MARCHETTI

Holiday Book Bash

Authors, food, wine, raffles, a silent auction – oh my! This promises to be a Book Bash worthy of the holidays, indeed. Notable local authors of the likes of Cathleen Falsani, Rick Kogan, Richard Roeper, Alpana Singh, Elaine Soloway and more gather together at Galleria Marchetti from 5:30-8:30pm. Tickets range from $30-$65 depending on who you are and when you get them, but they include an Italian dinner buffet, a cooking demonstration by Gale Gand and raffles for a Mystery Bag of Books. If you need a break from talking with these great authors, you can also participate in the silent auction. Proceeds benefit the Chicago Headline Club Foundation, a non-profit that supports journalism and literacy among high school students. Email [email protected] for more information.