Lenny Duncan "United States of Grace" with Teddy Reeves

United States of Grace is a love story about America, revealing the joy and resilience of those places in this country many call "the margins" but that Lenny Duncan has called home. This book makes the bold claim that God is present with us in the most difficult of circumstances, bringing life out of death.

"This lyrical testament to life as "a blind date with mercy" will challenge and inspire."--Publishers Weekly [Starred Review]

In 1991, when he was 13 years old, Lenny Duncan stepped out of his house in West Philadelphia, walked to the Greyhound station, and bought a ticket--the start of his great American adventure. Today Duncan, who inspired and challenged audiences with his breakout first book, Dear Church, brings us a deeply personal story about growing up Black and queer in the U.S. In his characteristically powerful voice he recounts hitchhiking across the country, spending time in solitary confinement, battling for sobriety, and discovering a deep faith, examining pressing issues like poverty, mass incarceration, white supremacy, and LGBTQ inclusion through an intimate portrayal of his life's struggles and joys.

About Lenny Duncan

Lenny Duncan (he/him) is a follower of Jesus Christ and is in a passionate love affair with grace. Lenny spent most of his teens homeless after leaving home at age 13. He has spent time in all 48 contiguous states, sleeping by the side of the highway or in penthouses along the way. He has been a prisoner of war in the so-called war on drugs. After systemic oppression or drugs didn’t kill him, Lenny found himself in a strange place: the church. Lenny has been everything from high school drop out, drug dealer, sex worker, street corner poet, hitchhiker, dharma bum, small town drifter, seminarian, political activists, father, pastor, lover, public theologian, and writer. Now he thrives in the PNW.

He is currently the Pastor of the Jubille Collective, a community organized around the idea that maybe Jesus is anti-racist and loves queer, trans, two spirited people too. You can find out more about this community, including joining the online cohort here.

About Teddy Reeves

Teddy Reeves is a producer, #digitaltheologian, curator, and fashion and art enthusiast. Digitizing himself as the #digitaltheologian, teddy's scholarship and praxis can be found at the intersections of entertainment, faith & spirituality, social media, art, and culture. currently, Teddy serves as a curator of religion at the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American history and culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, D.C. He earned his B.A. from Hampton University, M.Div. from Princeton Seminary, and his Ph.D. from Fordham University. In 2018, Teddy created a web based talk-show series entitled, "gOD-talk: a black millennials and faith conversation series," which explores the dynamic ways Black millennials are engaging with faith in the 21st century.

Borrow a copy of the book from PGCMLS at pgcmls.info. Purchase a copy of the book from Loyalty Bookstores at tinyurl.com/PGCMLSLoyalty. Co-presented with the Prince George's County Human Relations Commission.