Need a Speaker?
Contact Me!
Whether you need a speaker for your book club, church group, chamber of commerce meeting, conference, or other event, I enjoy talking to people to help make a difference.
I’m currently scheduling talks to churches or other groups to share tips from my upcoming book,
Happy and Solo at Church
– Light Your Fire and Worship with Joy.
Noblesville Chamber of Commerce event
Interviews by a Clueless
White Woman
Interviews by a Clueless White Woman shares the real stories of people of color, individuals from different religions, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities.
“We didn’t just face the devastation of COVID-19 starting in 2020,” Amy said, “We also faced widening gaps between marginalized groups, at a time when it was critical for us to band together with compassion.”
“I know that I’m not the only one who was – and still is – clueless about so many of these issues. I wanted to conduct these interviews and share them with the world to decrease division and increase understanding.”
What My Readers Say
about My Upcoming Book
As I read Amy’s book, it took me back to when, as a divorced woman with grown children, I sat in a church pew feeling every emotion that Amy wrote about. I felt lonely. I envied all those women who sat with their husbands or significant others. I watched and listened as they left the church, all the while discussing where they would eat lunch, whether as a couple or with their family. Every “single” person will feel seen and their feelings affirmed when they read this book. Kudos to Amy.
Jan Hart Leonard
Author & Newspaper Columnist
Amy Shankland has written a compassionate, faith-filled, and down-to-earth guide for anyone who has ever felt alone in church. With honesty, warmth, and spiritual insight, she shows that thriving as a solo churchgoer is desirable, possible, and transformative. I highly recommend this book to solo attendees and church leaders alike.
Father Tomas Metzger
Pastor
Amy Shankland takes on a topic not much talked about in the current culture. As churches struggle for relevance to new generations, and as the current church population consists of up to 20 percent singles (per Shankland’s research), churches would be wise to embrace their single population. Shankland offers some suggestions for churches, but her focus is on encouraging those who are attending church single–whether because of marital, life, or religious circumstances. Through telling her own experiences and sharing extensive interviews of other single-attenders, she lays out suggestions that any reader in a similar situation can use to help them on their “solo” church journey. She encourages her readers to remember that God sees, knows, and loves. Always.
Linda K Taylor
Assistant Professor of Professional Writing
Well crafted and researched, this part memoir, part guidebook addresses a social problem that besets a number of church attendees today – navigating a religious community as a single person. Amy does a great job of outlining the issues and providing prompts for reflection at the end of each chapter. She presents practical advice and encouragement, which makes it perfect for solo parishioners and for churches who may need help welcoming these individuals. I highly recommend this book!
Paulette Brooks
Author & Retired Librarian