Author Anna Gazmarian will visit Point Loma Nazarene University as part of the 2nd Annual M.A in Writing Visiting Writers Series on October 2, 2024.
Anna Gazmarian’s debut, Devout: A Memoir of Doubt, was released through Simon & Schuster in March 2024. The Simon & Schuster book description reads the following:
"In this revelatory memoir, Gazmarian tells the story of how her evangelical upbringing in North Carolina failed to help her understand the mental health diagnosis she received and the work she had to do to find proper medical treatment while also maintaining her faith. When Anna is diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2011, she’s faced with a conundrum: while the diagnosis provides clarity about her manic and depressive episodes, she must confront the stigma that her evangelical community attaches to her condition. Over the course of ten years, we follow Anna on her journey to reframe her understanding of mental health to expand the limits of what her religious practice can offer. In Devout: A Memoir of Doubt, Anna shows that pursuing our emotional health and our spiritual well-being is one single mission and, in both cases, an act of faith."
The book has been reviewed in The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and other large publications. Oprah Daily called the memoir a “righteously angry debut, a testimony that will speak to both God-fearing and secular readers, any of us in search for a love not conditioned on obedience.”
In addition to her memoir, Gazmarian has essays published in The Guardian, The Rumpus, Longreads, The Sun, and Quarterly West. She holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the Bennington Writing Seminar. Gazmarian works for The Sun Magazine and lives with her family in Durham, North Carolina.
During her visit to PLNU, Gazmarian will conduct a 3 p.m. craft lecture and writing workshop and a 7 p.m. evening reading. The 3 p.m. lecture/workshop is free; all are welcome to observe the discussion. The 7pm reading will feature Gazmarian’s work and a book signing to follow courtesy of La Playa Books. Cost for the evening reading is $10 for general admission and $5 for PLNU staff, students, and faculty.
Purchase tickets below and log in using your PLNU credentials to receive the PLNU rate.