Book Release Party for Consider the Women: A Provocative Guide to Three Matriarchs of the Bible.
Men have dominated the stories and study of our holy books for millennia. Local author and pastor, Debbie Blue, explores how scripture, faith and our visions of god look different when we focus on the women.
The release event will feature work from artists Hend Al-Mansour and Rebekah Crisanta de Ybarra who are highlighted in the book, as well as music by Lady Xok. Sponsored by Common Good Books.
In Consider the Women: A Provocative Guide to Three Matriarchs of the Bible, Blue looks closely at Hagar (mother of Islam), Esther (Jewish heroine) and Mary (Christian matriarch) revealing the ways that their stories disrupt male narratives and cross divides. When the fathers build walls, the women keep finding ways under, over and around them.
Following Haga
r, Esther and Mary leads Blue to encounters with real life characters from around the Twin Cities; a tattoo artist from Somalia, a Saudi Arabian sculptor, a feminist Muslim scholar, a rabbi in a Darth Vadar costume on roller blades, a Latinx/Indigenous interpreter of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and more.
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Blue is a graduate of Yale Divinity School and one of the founding pastors of House of Mercy. Among her other books is the award-winning Consider the Birds.
Hend Al-Mansour is a Saudi Arabian-American visual artist and physician. Her printed silkscreens, installation art and portraits of Muslim women explore the religious and social belief systems of Arab communities. She is the recipient of McKnight and Jerome fellowships.
Rebekah Crisanta de Ybarra is a public artist, curator, and the co-founder of Electirc Machete Studios. Her work includes visual art, music, and dance exploring the Nepantla or in-between of Christianity and Indigeneity. She performs music as Lady Xok, inspired by the original Maya queen.
Contact: Debbie Blue
Debbie@houseofmercy.org
(320) 761-5162
or publicist: rachel@onebrewer.com