Sherry Stanfa-Stanley, author of Finding My Badass Self: A Year of Truths and Dares, will bring her fearlessness and humor to Conrad Sulzer Regional Library on Thursday, Oct. 19 with a free-to-the-public book event, with doors opening at 5:30, and the program slated from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Stanfa-Stanley will read from Finding My Badass Self and discuss her adventures with Chicago author Elaine Soloway, herself the author of four books and the inspiration for television’s Emmy-award-winning series Transparent, produced and written by Soloway’s daughters, Jill and Faith Soloway.
At age 52, facing
later life and an empty nest, Stanfa-Stanley decided to kick off her “52/52
Project”—to do one thing she was afraid of every week for a year. The happy
result is Finding My Badass Self: A Year of Truths and Dares, a collection of essays on Stanfa-Stanley’s
deliberate forays into places far, far outside her comfort zone. Her adventures
included visiting a nude beach with her seventy-five-year-old mother, crashing
a wedding (she caught the bouquet), and joining a vice squad SWAT team as it
went on a raid. Through it all, says Stanfa-Stanley, she gained a perspective that
makes it easier in this new stage of her life to confront fears and laugh at
herself.
“Especially
as we get older,” Stanfa-Stanley says, “our comfort zone gets narrower and
narrower. I learned that it’s never too late to change your life, and that
facing your fears is a good way to do it. It’s also a good way of becoming and
embracing who you’ve always been.”
The event
will be hosted by The Village Chicago, a non-profit membership community focused
on helping members navigate the new longevity by connecting them to each other
and to trusted resources that support vibrant, secure later lives.
Books by
both authors will be available for purchase and signing. Light snacks will be
served. Doors open to the public at 5:30 p.m. and the program will be from 6-7:30 p.m.
While
admission is free, advance registration is required. To register, go to The Village
Chicago website at https://www.thevillagechicago.org/calender-events/finding-badass-self-sherry-stanfa-stanley/or phone the Village offices at (773)
248-8700.
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