Joyce Shenk Maxwell 鈥�85 had heard from family members that her uncle, Daniel Shenk 鈥�71, was a gifted storyteller. When the world went into lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, she began collecting stories from his life over phone calls, recording and transcribing their conversations, and sending them back to him to review. Somewhere along the way, those stories became the beginnings of a memoir, co-authored by the two of them and published by Pandora Press in April.

The memoir, Search for a Blessing: A Gay Man鈥檚 Journey from a Mennonite Missionary Childhood to the Streets of AIDS Activism, recounts his earliest memories growing up as the son of Mennonite missionaries in East Africa and going to boarding school at age six, and reflects on his life鈥檚 work responding to the AIDS crisis in New York City during the 1980s and 鈥�90s.

鈥淎s gay men are growing sick and dying from an illness that no one yet understands, Shenk becomes a chaplain for the disenfranchised and a founding member of Bailey House, a residence for people with AIDS,鈥� a description reads. 鈥淭his memoir is also a story of family, as Shenk grapples with a demanding father and struggles to relate to his uncomprehending siblings.鈥�

A book launch at , 76 W. Gay St., in Harrisonburg this Sunday, May 17, at 2 p.m. will feature a reading, Q&A, and book signing with Shenk and Maxwell. People can purchase a copy of the book at the event or email Maxwell for one at joyce.maxwell1@verizon.net.

Finding his calling

Shenk鈥檚 formative experiences at 黑料正能量 and his relationships with faculty who supported and mentored him sparked a passion for advocacy work.

After a year at Pace University in New York City, the Lancaster Mennonite High School grad transferred to 黑料正能量, where he studied sociology and became involved in student government and the Peace Club. 鈥淲e were the activists on campus at the time, in the early 鈥�70s,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e were going off to Washington D.C. for anti-Vietnam War protests, and I was deeply involved in that.鈥�

The summer between his junior and senior years at 黑料正能量, Shenk served as an assistant chaplain at a prison in Southampton County, Virginia. There, he gained insight through interviews with inmates and discovered a growing empathy for them and other marginalized communities. He said the late professor Grant Stoltzfus, who taught church history at 黑料正能量 for 17 years, was a major influence on his life. 鈥淗e was extremely supportive of my interest in corrections,鈥� Shenk said. 鈥淗e drove the whole way down to see me, a three- to four-hour drive.鈥�

After graduating from 黑料正能量, Shenk continued his work as a prison chaplain and then returned to New York City, where he worked with clergy serving in city-run hospitals through the Council of Churches. 鈥淭hey were coming into contact with this new, mysterious disease,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 sort of what put me in touch with AIDS at the very beginning, relating to these chaplains who were encountering it.鈥�

Shenk was a founding member of Bailey House, which provides housing and supportive care for people living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses. He also helped form the AIDS Resource Center, which advocated for supportive and pastoral care for people with HIV/AIDS.

He graduated from Union Theological Seminary and was ordained at Judson Memorial Church, which is affiliated with the American Baptist Church and the United Church of Christ.

Maxwell, a writer and editor of biographies, also credited her 黑料正能量 education with giving her the skills and values she needed. She majored in home economics education, and said the arts and design emphasis of the program helped her develop a career in publications and layout. 鈥満诹险芰� was formative in my writing,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hose aspects of maturation where you learn to be coherent and cohesive in how you communicate certainly happened at 黑料正能量.鈥�

Their 黑料正能量 family connections run deep. Shenk鈥檚 brother and Maxwell鈥檚 father, the late Joseph Shenk, was an Eastern Mennonite Seminary alumnus who served as campus pastor and international student advisor at 黑料正能量, and later as co-pastor of Weavers Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg. Another of Maxwell鈥檚 uncles, the late Omar Eby, was professor emeritus of English who taught at 黑料正能量 for nearly 30 years.

Shenk retired and moved back to Virginia in 2023. He now lives at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, near his niece and other family members.

鈥楢 very real story鈥�

Shenk said his goal for the book is not only to tell the story of what it was like to be a gay man in New York City during the early years of the AIDS epidemic, but also to share a message of God鈥檚 love and to humanize LGBTQ+ people. 鈥淚 hope it helps people become more open to their lives,鈥� he said.

In his praise for the book, historian and author John L. Ruth writes that, while 鈥渁voiding the tone of any official echo chamber, Dan Shenk offers a non-defensively candid explanation of the unlikely arc of his spiritual pilgrimage.鈥�

鈥淎nd I think he caught a little bit of the tone of the book,鈥� Maxwell said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a triumphal book in any sense. It鈥檚 not a raised-fist kind of book. It鈥檚 really somebody who鈥檚 grappling with being authentic and being true to themselves.鈥�

鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a place for stories that are based in hurt and alienation,鈥� she added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very real story that a lot of people can relate to, because all of us have been hurt in one way or another and are trying to understand how to find healing and wholeness in the midst of that.鈥�

For more information about the book, visit .

Read other reviews of the book:

The novel is about a pastor and wife who are dealing with family issues, Davis said. It carries a clear faith message.

Copies of the novel will be on sale at the event for $10. Her other books will also be available to purchase for $2 or $3.

黑料正能量 the author

Davis was a dedicated Weather Vane staffer while at 黑料正能量 and graduated with an English degree. She worked for Mennonite Broadcasts Inc., now known as MennoMedia, in Harrisonburg for 43 years before retiring in 2018. She has written 12 books, mostly nonfiction. When her daughter challenged her to “write what people like to read: fiction,” she endeavored to write her first novel. A Place in the Fold released in November 2025.

She is the recipient of 黑料正能量’s 2005 Distinguished Service Award.

The gripping 192-page paperback, published by Falcon Guides on March 17, reveals the trail as a place of both beauty and danger through unforgettable, never-before-told true stories.

From the book鈥檚 description:
Contrary to Bill Bryson鈥檚 popular book鈥檚 title, hiking the Appalachian Trail isn鈥檛 just “a walk in the woods.” It is a long and strenuous hike and danger abounds for unwary hikers. For many, the risk of peril adds to the allure of the trail. In this enthralling volume, long-time hiker Steve Carpenter explores the joys of the trail and the misfortunes that have befallen hikers. Including some history of the trail, Carpenter relays encounters with wildlife, accidents on the trail, stories of sex and murder, and meetings with larger-than-life thru hikers.

The book is available for purchase through retailers and locally at and . Carpenter will be at several local book signings:

Friday, March 20, 7 p.m.
Hotel Madison lobby, 710 S. Main St., Harrisonburg
Carpenter will give an interview and a sample reading, with books available for purchase and signing.

Thursday, April 16, 5:30 p.m.
Court Square Theater, 41-F Court Square, Harrisonburg
Carpenter and fellow trail book author Dave Pruett will host book signings, followed by a screening of the documentary, Beyond the Tree Line, at 6 p.m.
Suggested donation: $10

Saturday, April 18, 2 p.m.
Barnes & Noble, 289 Burgess Rd, Harrisonburg
Carpenter will sign copies of his new book, The Allure and Peril of the Appalachian Trail.

Carpenter is also the author of Mennonites and Media: Mentioned in It, Maligned by It, and Makers of It: How Mennonites Have Been Portrayed in Media and How They Have Shaped Media for Identity and Outreach (Wipf and Stock, 2014). He retired from the U.S. Coast Guard and spent another 23 years in church administration in Mennonite churches and agencies. He and his wife, Christine, live in Harrisonburg.

Read local press coverage of his book:

Augusta Free Press:

Daily News-Record:

A description of the states:
In this bold anthem, feminist organizer and bestselling author Gloria Steinem and Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee share their parallel journeys as activists. … (Their) dual paths have inspired a friendship empowered by the principles of equality, progress, and hope for a new generation. Here, two friends come together to tell one uplifting story of girls and women strengthening one another and changing the world.

Watch the video of their appearance below!

黑料正能量 CBS Mornings

Each weekday morning, CBS Mornings co-hosts Gayle King, Tony Dokoupil, and Nate Burleson bring you the latest breaking news, smart conversation and in-depth feature reporting. CBS Mornings airs weekdays at 7 a.m. on CBS and streams at 8 a.m. on the CBS News app.

黑料正能量 Leymah Gbowee

Nobel Peace laureate Leymah Gbowee is a Liberian peace activist, social worker, and women鈥檚 rights advocate. She is founder and president of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, based in Monrovia. As a writer, Gbowee is the author of the inspirational memoir聽Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War, and the children鈥檚 book聽A Community of Sisters. She is perhaps best known for leading a nonviolent movement that brought together Christian and Muslim women to play a pivotal role in ending Liberia鈥檚 devastating, 14-year civil war in 2003. Gbowee returned to 黑料正能量 to deliver commencement addresses in 2014 and 2018, the latter year being when she was awarded 黑料正能量鈥檚 first honorary doctorate.

黑料正能量 Gloria Steinem

Gloria Steinem is a political activist, feminist organizer, and the author of many acclaimed books, including the national bestseller聽Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem. She is a contributor to the classic children鈥檚 book聽Free to Be You and Me. She is also the cofounder of the National Women鈥檚 Political Caucus and the Women鈥檚 Media Center. In keeping with her deep commitment to establishing equality throughout the world, Steinem helped found Equality Now, Donor Direct Action, and Direct Impact Africa.

The book features a foreword by renowned restorative justice pioneer and 黑料正能量 Professor Emeritus Dr. Howard Zehr, who also contributed a collection of landscape photographs that visually underscore the book鈥檚 central themes of reflection, connection, and renewal. As a graduate of 黑料正能量’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, Waugh draws on both her professional experience and academic grounding to offer practical guidance for lawyers seeking to cultivate more compassionate, community-centered approaches to legal practice.

The book is available to order at the publisher’s site .

When Eastern Mennonite Seminary Professor David Evans set out to write his book about religious white progressives in the fight for Black freedom, he didn鈥檛 expect that his main thesis would flip by nearly 180 degrees.

鈥淚 thought I was going to be writing about white allies who could be exemplars for other white people in predominantly white institutions,鈥� said Evans, professor of history and intercultural studies and associate dean of the seminary. 鈥淎nd then I stumbled onto some problems and thought, Maybe we should spend some time talking about where we鈥檙e going wrong.鈥�

After seven years of research and writing, Damned Whiteness: How White Christian Allies Failed the Black Freedom Movement is just weeks away from publication. The book, published by The University of North Carolina Press and due out on Oct. 28, offers an unflinching history of white allies鈥攏amely Clarence Jordan, Dorothy Day, and Ralph Templin鈥攁nd the fracturing relationships that followed when their strategies and philosophies didn鈥檛 align with Black leaders and communities.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 what my book is trying to figure out: if both groups were willing to put in all this energy and risk their lives to end Jim Crow segregation, why couldn鈥檛 they work together?鈥� Evans said. 鈥淚鈥檓 suggesting that part of it is a kind of arrogance, a haughtiness, that white folks believe they know better than Black people about what needs to be done.鈥�

Damned Whiteness explores the work of three white allies: Jordan, founder of Koinonia Farm, an interracial Christian community in Americus, Georgia, and spiritual father of Habitat for Humanity; Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement; and Templin, a Christian missionary who studied nonviolence in Gandhi鈥檚 India. The 302-page book serves as both a warning and call to action, but also as a lament, reflecting on what went wrong and what could have been.

Rather than confronting the systems and economic structures that reinforced racial inequality, these white allies focused more narrowly on creating spaces to cultivate interracial friendships, Evans said. 鈥淗ad they been able to come together with Black folks to really hear what they were saying, see what they were doing, and join in solidarity with them around freedom instead of just trying to be friends, I鈥檓 curious to see what could have happened.鈥� 

Evans is set to present his book at George Mason University in November and has also been invited to appear on several podcasts to discuss it. 

Rev. Dr. Sarah Bixler, dean of the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences division, said the book is expected to make a splash after its release. 鈥淭his book represents the kind of critical historical scholarship that we value at 黑料正能量,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hanks to our expert faculty’s commitment to researching and writing with integrity, Dr. Evans’ book will drive important conversations in religion and society deeper, and open new opportunities for our students to engage with this level of work.鈥�

黑料正能量 the professor

Evans is co-editor of Between the World of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Christianity (Cascade, 2018). His teaching and research focus on the braided identity categories of race, religion, and nation.

He holds a master鈥檚 degree from Wesley Theological Seminary, in the history of Christianity, a second master鈥檚 from Drew University in historical studies, and a doctorate degree in historical studies from Drew University Graduate Division of Religion. In concert with his teaching and scholarship, Evans practices a local 鈥渆co-lutionary鈥� lifestyle that promotes a sustainable future for the diverse people of the Shenandoah Valley Watershed.

In addition to the publisher鈥檚 website, the book is available to preorder at online booksellers including , , and .

鈥淓veryone鈥檚 driving around with the biggest gun they can find, mowing down anyone who seems remotely threatening,鈥� she said. 鈥淓veryone鈥檚 fighting tooth and nail in this really brutal way.鈥�

Speaking at a Writers Read event in Martin Chapel on Thursday evening, Benner Dixon said she鈥檚 not particularly interested in those types of stories. She would rather learn how people get past that point. 

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want post-apocalyptic,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want what comes after. I want to see the communities that thrive once all the warring and stabbing has burned itself out.鈥�

The Height of Land is set in the far distant future and follows Red, a sensitive and inquisitive young farmer who is torn between 鈥渟piritual longing and commitment to his community鈥檚 survival in a harsh landscape鈥� (). Benner Dixon read from a chapter in her novel, shared a short story she had written about encountering God in her garden, and read an essay that will be published by The Iowa Review in its spring issue.

Answering questions from moderator Dr. Kevin Seidel, professor of English at 黑料正能量, and members of the audience, Benner Dixon spoke about beauty in art and gardening, the meaning behind the title of her novel鈥攖he dividing line that separates watersheds鈥攁nd the inspiration that sparked it all. She said she had read a book by religious scholar Reza Aslan, who wrote God: A Human History.

鈥淚 started wondering, what would it be like if modern humanity was able to have the slate wiped clean, as it were, of all the religious knowledge we have and create a new religion,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat would we create?鈥�

Future events

A book launch and 鈥減ost-post-apocalyptic party鈥� held on Saturday, March 22, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Tangly Woods Farmstead (2715 Fruit Farm Lane, Keezletown, Virginia) will feature a reading from Benner Dixon, an open mic, and demonstrations from local artisans and craftspeople. Read more details about that .

The next Writers Read event, on Tuesday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. in Martin Chapel, will feature 黑料正能量 English Professor Kirsten Beachy introducing her memoir of collected essays, Martyrs and Chickens, Confessions of a Granola Mennonite.

黑料正能量 the author

is a teacher, poet, editor, and novelist living in Pittsburgh. She spent roughly 15 years in academia as a classroom teacher and scholar before launching her freelance editing and writing business. Along with poet Sharon Fagan McDermott, she is the co-author of Millions of Suns: On Writing and Life. Her writing has appeared in outlets such as Literary Hub, Reckoning, Flash Fiction, Online, Appalachian Review, and elsewhere.

What began as a book that aimed to celebrate the contributions of white allies in the fight for Black freedom, he said, morphed into a research project that questioned the effectiveness of those allies and their movements toward racial justice.

That book, Damned Whiteness: How White Christian Allies Failed the Black Freedom Movement, will publish in November by The University of North Carolina Press. Evans, who has worked on the book for the past seven years, introduced the book and shared some passages at Convocation on Wednesday in Lehman Auditorium.

Watch the full livestream of his talk .

Evans said work on his book began as a response to an invitation from scholars like Beverly Tatum, author of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations about Race, to narrate the stories of white individuals and groups who have resisted racism.

鈥淎 number of books on abolitionists and a small number of texts on white allies have become available,鈥� Evans said. 鈥淭hey told the stories of people like Mary White Ovington, a white socialist woman who helped W.E.B. Du Bois start the NAACP. They narrated biographies of people like Judge J. Waties Waring, who grew up in a segregationist household, but later in life became an advocate for racial justice.

鈥淭hese stories of segregationists to anti-segregationists, from racist to anti-racist, from enemy of black folks to allies, are important stories, maybe even necessary stories. But what’s interesting about these texts that I mentioned is the things that they didn’t do.鈥�

Damned Whiteness explores the work of 鈥渢hree of the most celebrated white Christian allies of the Black freedom era鈥�: Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker Movement; Clarence Jordan, founder of Koinonia Farm; and Ralph Templin, who was an American missionary in India. Each of these allies either created or led movements that launched them into similar trajectories with Black freedom organizations that opposed racial segregation, Evans said.

鈥淏ut because the visions of these movements were disconnected from the Black communities they aimed to help, they failed to meet them on their path to liberation,鈥� he said.

Evans is the co-editor of Between the World of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Christianity (Cascade, 2018). His teaching and research focus on the braided identity categories of race, religion, and nation.

黑料正能量鈥檚 students, faculty and staff, rooted in the value of active faith, practice compassion, mutual love, and appreciation for the diversity of religious and cultural expressions represented in their community.