Gustavus Adolphus College will host its annual Author Tea on Tuesday, April 12 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the Book Mark. Located on the lower level of the Jackson Campus Center, the event is free and open to the public.
This year, the Author Tea will include a student author, senior history major Alexa Giebink. Her memoir, Phoenix: Rising From Addiction, tells the story of Giebink’s mother, Mary Ann. A successful lawyer who lost her law firm and reputation after succumbing to alcoholism and depression, Mary Ann eventually landed in prison. The book explores how the family was able to come together to support her in recovery.
Gustavus philosophy professor Peg O’Connor is a popular blogger and expert on addiction. Her newest book, Life on the Rocks: Finding Meaning in Addiction and Recovery, will also be featured at the Author Tea.
“Just about every day in the newspaper, there’s a story about addiction. Stories often focus on the addicts themselves or, in the cases of overdoses, the family members left behind,” O’Connor said. “But less often told are the stories of family members of addicts who get sober.”
“It was difficult to talk to family members about these issues,” Giebink recalled, “but as my mother points out, it was more difficult to live it.”
“Phoenix shows that while it is individuals who are addicted, it is often families and other loved ones who bear the costs. The same holds for recovery; individuals recover and perhaps even thrive as do their families,” O’Connor continued. “Giebink’s book is a testimony of loving resilience.”
“The whole journey of writing the book has been a healing process,” Giebink said.
Giebink, who minors in classics and sociology/anthropology, looks forward to the Author Tea. “I’m excited to tell my story to members of the Gustavus community and interact with the College’s other authors,” she said.
The following individuals and publications will be celebrated at the 2016 Gustavus Author Tea:
Phoenix: Rising From Addiction, by Alexa Giebink
Life on the Rocks: Finding Meaning in Addiction and Recovery, by Peg O’Connor
Philosophers at Table: On Food and Being Human, by Lisa Heldke
Democracy and the Death of Shame: Political Equality and Social Disturbance, by Jill Locke
“The Music of Theodora Cormontan,” by Michael Jorgensen
New Dimensions of Diversity in Nordic Culture and Society, edited by Ursula Lindqvist
Modern Love and Other Myths, by Joyce Sutphen
Bullying Among University Students, contributed to by Beatriz Torres
The annual Author Tea is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Karri Anderson in the Book Mark at kanders5@gustavus.edu or 507-933-6065.
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