At age 36, while serving on a jury, popular memoirist and blogger (Orangette) Molly Wizenberg found herself drawn to a female attorney she hardly knew. Married to a man for nearly a decade and mother to a toddler, Wizenberg tried to return to her life as she knew it, but something inside her had changed irrevocably. Instead, she would discover that the trajectory of our lives is rarely as smooth or as logical as we’d like to believe.

Like many people, Wizenberg had long understood sexual orientation as a stable part of herself. Suddenly she realized that her story was more complicated. Who was she, she wondered, if something at her very core could change so radically?

Charis is excited to present a conversation between New York Times bestselling and James Beard Award–winning author Molly Wizenberg and Charis Circle board member Susan Landrum exploring timely and timeless questions about desire, identity, and the limits and possibilities of family.

The Fixed Stars is a frank and moving story about letting go of rigid definitions and ideals that no longer fit, and learning instead who we really are.

This event is free and open to all people, especially to those who have no income or low income right now, but we encourage and appreciate a solidarity donation in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Charis Circle's mission is to foster sustainable feminist communities, work for social justice, and encourage the expression of diverse and marginalized voices. https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/CharisCircle?code=chariscirclepage

We will be archiving this event and adding closed captioning as soon as possible after airing so that it will be accessible to deaf and HOH people. If you have other accessibility needs or if you are someone who has skills in making digital events more accessible please don't hesitate to reach out to info@chariscircle.org. We are actively learning the best practices for this technology and we welcome your feedback as we begin this new way of connecting across distances.

By attending our virtual event you agree to our Code of Conduct: Our event seeks to provide a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), class, or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate. Anyone violating these rules will be expelled from this event and all future events at the discretion of the organizers. Please report all harassment to info@chariscircle.org immediately.

Molly Wizenberg is the bestselling author of three memoirs: The Fixed Stars (Abrams Press, 2020), A Homemade Life (Simon & Schuster, 2009), and Delancey (Simon & Schuster, 2014). She was also, for 15 years, the voice behind the James Beard Award-winning blog Orangette. With author Matthew Amster-Burton, she co-hosts the hit food-and-comedy podcast Spilled Milk -- now celebrating ten years of bad jokes -- and, once upon a time, she co-founded the Seattle restaurants Delancey and Essex. She lives in Seattle.

Susan Landrum is a native of Atlanta and first stepped into Charis as a senior in high school to be a part of the Young Writers Group led by Linda Bryant. This transformative experience forever shaped her understanding of intersectional feminism and planted the seeds of love for community building and development. After four New York winters at Vassar College and a stint in gorgeous Seattle, Susan made her way home. Susan is currently the Executive Director for VOX ATL, Atlanta’s home for uncensored teen publishing and self-expression. She is fueled by plenty of coffee, books, friendship, family, and the earnest love of a hound named Elvis.

THE FIXED STARS--MOLLY WIZENBERG IN CONVERSATION WITH SUSAN LANDRUM