A conversation with author, spiritual director and pastoral theologian, Tanya Marlow, about her new book

"Treasures in Straw: Exploring the griefs and gifts of the Christmas story"

For some, Christmas is a magical time. For others, it can be painful, and the usual tinselled tellings of the Christmas story feel unbearably saccharine. Yet in that first Christmas, all of life is there – disgrace and honour, danger and protection, uncertainty and hope, temptation and tyranny, sorrow and celebration. With thoughtful research, pastoral insight, and honest stories, Treasures in Straw explores the themes of loss and blessing throughout the nativity. Against a darker backdrop, we see with greater clarity God's unexpected generosity and our unshakeable blessings. However you feel about Christmas, this book will leave you with fresh hope, deeper understanding, and genuine joy in living with Christ.

The talk is presented by The Michael Ramsey Professor of Faith, Culture and the Arts, Canterbury Cathedral, and the University of Kent

Entry to the talk is free.

Tanya Marlow is a writer, spiritual director and lecturer in pastoral theology. A popular conference speaker, she has been published by the Guardian and Spectator and interviewed for BBC TV and radio. Her passion is combining biblical texts and 'sacred storytelling' with honest theologies of disability and suffering. She is mostly bed-bound with chronic illness and does let it limit her. Her books include Those Who Wait (2017), and she can be found at TanyaMarlow.com.

Revd Prof Jonathan Arnold, Michael Ramsey Chair of Faith, Culture and the Arts, Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries, University of Kent; Director of the Social Justice Network, Diocese of Canterbury

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