On Writing, Coming Out & Finding Belonging - Dr. Gregory Coles

In this episode, we learn from Dr. Gregory Coles about his love of literature, reciting Hamlet when he was eight years old, pursuing a PhD in English Literature, how he came out to his loved ones and church, why he wrote "Single, Gay, Christian," how he's dealt with criticism from Christians about his sexual identity, how he's processed pain and grief, and what led him to write his latest book: "No Longer Strangers: Finding Belonging in a World of Alienation," published by InterVarsity Press.

Gregory Coles (PhD, Penn State University) is an author, playwright, speaker and songwriter. Gregory spent fifteen years growing up in the Muslim neighborhoods of Southeast Asia, in the shadow of a golden-domed mosque marked by a spire with a silver crescent moon. The son of two committed Christian teachers, Greg learned from a young age to look for God in the world around him. At age eighteen, he returned to the United States to pursue his education.

Greg is a frequent collaborator with organizations like Revoice and The Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender. When he isn’t writing or speaking, he can usually be found playing piano at a local church, dabbling in songwriting, jogging, or baking homemade granola. Gregory is also a contributor to Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal Author Quest—a collection of short stories published by Grosset and Dunlap (Penguin Random House).

Learn more about him here:
https://www.gregorycoles.com/about/