FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (10/06)
Contact: Kelsey Johnson, Centenary News Service, at 318-841-7265, or Jennifer Strange, Lecturer in English, at 318-869-5256

Centenary Attaway Scholar Lauren Winner to Give Public Talks on Religious Topics Nov. 2 & 3

	Lauren Winner

SHREVEPORT, LA – Christian author and Centenary Attaway Scholar Lauren Winner will present three public talks Nov. 2 and 3 on the Centenary College campus.

Thursday, Nov. 2 from 7–8:30 p.m.
Brown Chapel
"Lies the Church Tells About Sex": Winner will present a talk based on her most recent book, Real Sex: The Naked Truth About Chastity (2005), followed by an audience question-and-answer session. There will be a booksigning after the talk, with books available for purchase.

Friday, Nov. 3 from 7:30–9 a.m.
Kilpatrick Auditorium
"What's the Difference Between the Bible and a Novel? Reading the Bible Faithfully": Winner will describe approaches to scripture and hold a question-and-answer session. A continental breakfast will be provided. RSVP to 318-869-5156 or lvaughan@centenary.edu.

Friday, Nov. 3 from 2–3:30 p.m.
Kilpatrick Auditorium
"Mudhouse Sabbath: What Christians Can Learn from Jews": Drawing from her experiences in both religions, Winner explains how Christians could deepen rituals such as prayer, candle lighting and weddings by taking a lesson from Jewish custom. This presentation is adapted from her book Mudhouse Sabbath (2003).

Winner, former book editor for Beliefnet, is the author of Girl Meets God, Mudhouse Sabbath and, most recently, Real Sex: The Naked Truth about Chastity. She has appeared on PBS’s Religion & Ethics Newsweekly and has written for The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post Book World, Publishers Weekly and Christianity Today. Her essays have been included in The Best Christian Writing 2000 and The Best Christian Writing 2002. Winner has degrees from Columbia and Cambridge universities, having defended her dissertation on the history of American religion this year. She now lives in Durham, N.C., with her husband, Griff Gatewood.

Winner’s appearance is in conjunction with the Attaway Professorships in Civic Culture, which are named in honor of the late Douglas and Marion Attaway. They combine the advantages of guest speakers and internship programs as they provide brief residencies as the scholars interact personally with students and the community. The Attaway Scholars play a mentoring role that encourages students to engage in similar intellectual endeavors.

Co-sponsored by Centenary’s Convocations Committee and Christian Leadership Center, these events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Jennifer Strange, lecturer in English, at 318-869-5073, or visit http://www.laurenwinner.net.

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