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Years ago, I was invited to write a column for Religion News Service, a secular news agency covering religion and ethics. One of the biggest reasons I was excited to write for them was that they publish Kimberly Winston, an excellent journalist who covers atheism and Humanism.
As the first reporter at a major news agency who is dedicated full-time to covering atheists, agnostics, Humanists, and the nonreligious, Winston is breaking new ground and doing a great job covering a community that is often underrepresented in media.
This Sunday at 1 PM, she'll be sharing some of what she's learned from covering our community. I hope you'll join us to hear her stories -- and bring your questions!
Read on for more information about Sunday's event and our other upcoming programs, including today's STEAMMM service project and tonight's Needs of New Haven discussion, a newly-announced special event with Every Single Word creator Dylan Marron, other special events, and more. We hope to see you this Sunday or at another program soon!
Best,
Chris Stedman, Executive Director
P.S. Thanks to support from Rebecca Williams, we just joined Meetup! Now you can subscribe to our events on Meetup, in addition to on Facebook. Please invite your friends!
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Humanist Haven welcomes Kim Winston on 2/7 at 1 PM.
As the first reporter dedicated full-time to covering atheists and other freethinkers at a major American news outlet, Kimberly Winston has learned as much about religion and religious people as she has about nonbelievers. And what she learned is this: they have far more in common than many on either side of the divide think they do. She also rediscovered her passion for reporting on groups that seldom make headlines but often make a difference. Join Winston for a conversation about why she thinks that covering the godless on the "Godbeat" is the best job ever. Click here to RSVP to the event on Facebook, if you'd like.
Humanist Haven is YHC's community gathering where people from all across Yale and New Haven come together to ask big questions, explore what gives our lives meaning and purpose, and act to make the world a better place. Join us at The Grove -- 760 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT -- on the first Sunday of February (2/7) at 1 PM for Humanist Haven with Kimberly Winston.
Humanist Haven meets on the first and third Sunday of each month; meetings are free and open to the public, with child activities offered on the first Sunday of the month. Want to join a group walking over from campus? A group of students will leave Phelps Gate at 12:45 PM to walk to The Grove.
 Kimberly Winston is a national correspondent for Religion News Service, a Washington, D.C. wire service that provides religion coverage for more than 100 secular media outlets. For the last three years, she has covered the freethought community for RNS, and now also covers religion and popular culture. According to the Religion Newswriters Association-an organization for professional reporters who cover religion-she is the first reporter at a national news organization dedicated to the freethought beat. Kimberly has been a religion reporter for more than 20 years. Her stories have appeared in USA Today, The Washington Post, The Salt Lake City Tribune, the Los Angeles Times and Newsweek, among others. She was the recipient of the 2014 Religion Communicators Council's award for best feature writing and the 2005 American Academy of Religion's award for best religion reporting. In 2015 she was one of 15 reporters to receive a senior journalists fellowship from the East-West Center to study Islam and the West, and in 2014 she was invited by the government of Kosovo to speak about American communities of non-belief at Interfaith Kosovo, an international conference on interfaith understanding. Kimberly received her masters degree from the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. She lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Tonight's Needs of New Haven: Combatting poverty with LifeBridge Community Services
Tonight, Yale Humanist Community's Needs of New Haven discussion group will feature Laura Rundell, Volunteer Coordinator of LifeBridge Community Services. LifeBridge seeks to provide sustained, multi-dimensional support to improve the quality of life for those living in poverty in Connecticut. A crucial aspect of this vast support network is their Meals on Wheels program, which provides nutritious meals for approximately 900 individuals living in the greater New Haven area. Bring your questions for Laura and
join us at the Happiness Lab at the Grove tonight (Monday, February 1) at 7:30 PM. Free and open to the public.
Needs of New Haven is just one of our discussion groups, which meet on the first, second, third, and fourth Mondays of the month. Visit the Discussion Groups page on our website to learn more about each group and how you can get involved.
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Special event with Dylan Marron next month!
Save the date: February 24 at 7:30 PM on Yale's campus.
As an actor and moviegoer, Dylan Marron has experienced the systemic racism that permeates mainstream media from both sides. But beyond the jobs that it costs actors of color, what repercussions does it have on the way we tell popular stories? And how does that affect the way we identify ourselves? Join the Yale Humanist Community for a discussion on race and representation with Every Single Word creator Dylan Marron at "Every Single Word: Racial Erasure in Pop Media," a special event we're hosting on Yale's campus on February 24 at 7:30 PM. Specific location TBA; RSVP on Facebook here to get updates.Dylan Marron is a Venezuelan-American writer and actor best known for his role as Carlos the Scientist in the hit podcast Welcome to Night Vale; he also lends his voice to the Harper Collins audiobook of the same name. Marron also stars as Ari in the web series Whatever this is., for which he was named Best Actor by The Boston Globe. He is an ensemble member of the New York Neo-Futurists, who produced his play The Human Symphony, which was entirely performed by randomly selected audience members via mp3 instructional tracks. As the creator and director, he was nominated for a 2015 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Production.
In 2015 Marron created Every Single Word, a video series that isolates the dialogue spoken by people of color in popular films. He and Every Single Word have been profiled in The New York Times, The Washington Post, BuzzFeed, NPR, and The Guardian, and have attracted the attention and support of Junot Diaz, Kerry Washington, and Aziz Ansari, among others. Tumblr named his Every Single Word blog their #1 of 2015. Marron has lectured about the importance of representation in film and media literacy at the Smithsonian, Lincoln Center, The Potomac School, Rutgers University, NerdCon, GeekyCon, and Friends Seminary.
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Learning session with the Connecticut Mental Health Center on Tuesday, February 16
At YHC, we're trying to build an inclusive community for all, and that means addressing mental health related stigma. On Tuesday, February 16 we'll be hosting a learning session with the Connecticut Mental Health Center. During this session, a number of guests -- mostly individuals who are in recovery from a mental illness and who have faced other struggles related to that -- will come meet with us for a conversation. The discussion will focus on common experiences people with mental illness have in the community at large, including some that might be alienating, and ways that people (including members of our community) can be good allies in changing that alienation.
The session will last for about an hour, with 20 minutes of sharing by our guests and plenty of time for questions and conversation. If you're interested in learning more about this event, please email yalehumanists@gmail.com and ask for time and location details. Please also let us know what you hope to gain from participating in this session. We ask people not to show up to this discussion without confirming with us ahead of time.
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This afternoon, in celebration of our Green Light Project, our STEAMMM volunteers will be leading students in an activity exploring how light, colors, and filters work individually and together. We welcome any interested volunteers to come help at 3 PM at Clemente Leadership Academy!
What's STEAMMM? On the first Monday of each month, YHC partners with Clemente Leadership  Academy to provide a monthly after school STEAMMM (science, technology, engineering, art, math, and medicine mentoring) activity for their middle school-aged students. The program is designed to foster an interest in STEAMM fields and an understanding of how important and useful STEAMM is for society in these young students.
Sign up here to volunteer; you are still welcome to serve if you don't sign up in advance, but you will be serving in an assistant capacity. For more information please contact yalehumanists@gmail.com and include "STEAMMM volunteering" in the subject line.
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Dinner for undergraduate students at the Happiness Lab this Wednesday, February 3
Weekly undergraduate student dinners, hosted by our affiliated
undergraduate student group, occur Wednesdays at 6 PM. While most of the undergraduate dinners take place on campus, on the first Wednesday of each month they happen off campus at the Happiness Lab at The Grove. The next off campus dinner is this Wednesday, February 3. At these off campus dinners, free dinner is provided. Want to join but not sure how to get there? A group of students will walk over from Phelps Gate at 5:45 PM. To contact the student directors and join the official list serv to get updates, email them at HumanistYalies@gmail.com.
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Conversation with David Brooks & Miroslav Volf
Join YHC and a number of other Yale programs for a conversation about what makes for "the good life." David Brooks, a columnist for the New York Times and a Senior Fellow at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, is the author of The Road to Character (2015). Miroslav Volf, Professor of Systematic Theology & Director of Yale Center for Faith & Culture, is the author of Flourishing: Why We Need Religion in a Globalized World (2016).
YHC is cosponsoring this event in place of February's Who to Follow? (WTF?) discussion group. We will be facilitating some of the conversation groups at the end of the event. Join us on Monday, February 22 at 7:30 PM in Battell Chapel (400 College Street, New Haven, CT). We hope to see you there!
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'A Better Life' screening with filmmaker Chris Johnson
Join the Humanists of the Unitarian-Universalist Church in Meriden, CT on Saturday, February 27 at 7 PM for a screening of A Better Life: An Exploration of Joy and Meaning in a World without God, with author and filmmaker Chris Johnson. A discussion and book signing will occur after the movie. The event will be held at the UU Meriden Church (328 Paddock Avenue, Meriden, CT). Tickets will be $10 advance/$12 door. Light refreshments will be available for purchase.
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Lunch for Divinity School students on Thursdays
The None/Others (formerly known as the Open Party) at the Divinity School hosts round-table lunches on Thursdays at 12 PM. To find out more about joining, volunteering, speaking opportunities, or for general inquiries please contact the None/Others at YDSNoneOthers@gmail.com.
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Support YHC: Become one of our 20 for 50!
As you can see from our schedule of events, YHC makes a meaningful contribution to Yale and the Greater New Haven community, and especially to those who participate in our many activities and programs. Most of these events take place at The Grove. The 20 for 50 campaign will ensure that YHC's work can continue. We're seeking 20 individuals who will pledge to donate $50 per month and help us cover the most basic cost of our space -- the rent. That's just $1.67 a day, or less than a cup of coffee at many coffee shops. As a 501(c)(3), YHC relies entirely on your donations. Your donation is fully deductible. Click here to make a one time gift or set up a recurring donation.
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Stay Connected
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See below for our lineup of recurring programs and visit yalehumanists.com to learn more!
Sundays
1 PM: Humanist Haven
First and third Sundays of each month
Location: The Grove
Who: Open to the public
Mondays
3-5 PM: STEAMMM (science, technology, engineering, art, math, and medicine mentoring) service program First Monday of each month
Location: Clemente Middle School
Who: Email for details 7:30 PM: Discussion Groups -Needs of New Haven (first Monday of each month) -Practical Humanism (second Monday of each month) -Unsacred Sacred Texts (third Monday of each month) -WTF (fourth Monday of each month) Location: The Grove
Who: Open to the public Tuesdays Existential counseling office hours (also available other days by appointment) Location: YHC Office at The Grove or Davenport College Who: Open to the public 2-3 PM: Chat with Maytal (from the Yale Chaplain's Office) and Chris Location: Breathing Space (Old Campus) Who: Undergraduate and graduate students only Wednesdays
Existential counseling office hours (also available other days by appointment)
Location: YHC Office at The Grove or Davenport College
Who: Open to the public
6 PM: Undergraduate dinner
Location: First Wednesday of the month at The Grove, all other Wednesdays on campus
Who: Undergraduate students only
7 PM: SMART Recovery Location: The Grove Who: Open to the public Thursdays 12 PM: None/Others lunch
Location: Yale Divinity School
Who: Yale Divinity School students only
6 PM: Grad Students, Professionals, and Young Adults Board Game Night
Second Thursday of each month
Location: Email for details
Who: Open to the public
Fridays 8 PM: Grad Students, Professionals, and Young Adults Pub Night Fourth Friday of each month Location: Firehouse 12 (unless otherwise stated) Who: Open to the public
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Get YHC Gear!
Want to wear your Humanism on your sleeve? (Or your laptop, or your...?) Check out our YHC tees, buttons, and stickers -- and let us know if you want to learn more about how to get your own by donating to YHC!
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Drink YHC coffee!
Have you enjoyed the coffee at Humanist Haven? Want to make it at home?
Get your caffeine fix with our locally-roasted, small batch, ethical coffee. Proceeds support YHC!
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Alumni: Get involved in Humanist Alumni of Yale!
The Humanist Alumni of Yale (HA Y) is a shared interest group for Elis committed to exploring nonreligious perspectives on living an ethical life and finding personal fulfillment. HAY connects Humanist alumni around the world with resources, enabling its members to organize social and service events with other Humanist alumni in their community-both at Yale and more broadly. HAY will also provide alumni with opportunities to connect with and help current Humanist students and groups. Want to learn more about Humanist Alumni of Yale and get involved? Click here to learn more, or sign up by visiting http://bit.ly/YHCalumni.
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Struggling with addiction? Join us for SMART Recovery
Are you struggling with addictive behaviors? Our weekly SMART Recovery support group mees every Wednesday at 7 PM in the Happiness Lab coffee shop, which is attached to The Grove at 760 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT.
The goal of SMART, which stands for Self-Management and Recovery Training, is to provide quality, science-based educational tools and community for individuals struggling with addictive behaviors-and a nontheistic alternative to twelve-step programs, which rely heavily on God and Christian theology. People of all faiths and beliefs are welcome to attend. Please click here for updates regarding weather-related or other cancellations of our meetings.
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Young adult pub nights and board game nights
YHC's group for graduate students, professionals, and young adults hosts two events every month!
The first is a board game night, every second Thursday of the month at 6 PM. For location details, email yalehumanists@gmail.com.
The other is a pub night, every fourth Friday of the month at 8 PM at Firehouse 12. We hope to see you there!
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Darwin Day Celebration
On Saturday, February 13, the 8th Annual Darwin Day Dinner will take place at the Norwalk Inn & Conference Center in Norwalk, CT, hosted by the Humanists and Freethinkers of Fairfield County, among others. There will be a full course dinner at 7 pm, and Yale Medical School Professor Dr. Meir Kryger will be doing a presentation titled "The Mystery of Sleep." Tickets are available at http://www.darwindayct.org/
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Save the date: Coalition of Reason conference
The Connecticut Coalition of Reason is organizing another day-long conference: The Connecticut Assembly for Reason and Ethics (CARE). We have an all-star lineup of speakers, a beautiful new venue, and an exciting new, interactive format. Join us on Saturday, April 2, 2016 at The Mark Twain House & Museum, 351 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, CT.
Hemant Mehta (the "Friendly Atheist") will be the keynote speaker. More information will be coming soon, so please keep in touch through Facebook, Twitter, and our website. We hope to see you there!
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