Good news, folks.  On Thursday, June 16th I will be doing a reading & discussion in Saint Louis, MO.   Birthplace of Akon.  Home the arch.  The first place I saw a zonkey.  The All-Star game will also be in town.  Do you need any more reason to visit the great city?  Here’s the deets:

July 16th : Velocity Cafe & Cyclery : 7pm

Join the discussion on “The Courage to Talk to Strangers” and hear me read from my Give with Gratitude.

More on the Talk:

In Senegal, West Africa, there is no such thing as a stranger — only friends you haven’t met yet.  The greatest insult you can give someone is to tell them you don’t know who they are.  In the United States, frightened parents clutch their children’s hands tightly, look them straight in the eye, and warn them:  “Don’t talk to strangers.”

Krueger’s book, Give with Gratitude: Lessons Learned Listening to West Africa, examines the cultural wisdom gained by listening to the people of Senegal, West Africa.  The idea that travel requires courage is a myth; too often we leave our comfort zone only to try and recreate it in a new place.  Real bravery comes when opening our hearts and minds to the strangers that we meet along the way.  For most Americans, who are taught from an early age “Don’t Talk to Strangers” building these relationships requires a great deal of courage.  Give with Gratitude tells a compelling story of the lessons Krueger learned when listening to the Senegalese, and asks the readers to imagine how things would change if they had the courage to incorporate these lessons into their own lives. 

And its in a bike shop!   It will likely take all my restraint to stay focused on the book and not start spinning tales of love about my Schwinn Collegiate.  Grateful for the way its all working out.