Lit 16: Meet Candice Marie Benbow
Author of "Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who’ve Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn’t Enough"
“Red lip theology introduced me to a God much more kind, gracious, and loving than the one I’d been given in my youth and young adulthood. All of this was the result of keeping a promise to my best friend while being transformed by the renewing of my mind. Red lip theology gave God back to me, me back to God, and me back to myself.”
—Candice Marie Benbow, Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who’ve Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn’t Enough
Hello Family,
Meet Candice Marie Benbow (she/her), a member of the inaugural Lit 16 class.
She is a multi-genre theologian who situates her work at the intersections of beauty, faith, feminism and culture, giving voice to Black women’s shared experiences of healing and journeying toward wholeness. Reimagining how faith can be a tool of liberation and transformation for women and girls, she challenges Black women to think critically about how they see God, themselves and the world. Candice created the #LemonadeSyllabus hashtag and social media campaign.
In memory of her mother, Candice established The LouiseMarie Foundation. Focusing on faith and education, the Foundation supports HBCU nursing students, provides micro grants for community mental health projects and creates opportunities for spiritual growth and development. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Candice holds degrees from Tennessee State University, North Carolina Central University and Duke Divinity School. She calls Atlanta home, where she resides with her beloved beagle Charlie.
Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who’ve Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn’t Enough is her debut essay collection.
Here is what Deesha Philyaw had to say about it:
“This lush, funny, deeply personal memoir is a beautiful gift to church girls everywhere and an instant classic on faith and getting free.”
Her fellow Lit 16 author Danté Stewart also sang its praises:
“This book is a theological masterpiece, a love song, and a tender exploration of what it means to live and grow up and fail and get better and put the broken pieces of ourselves back together.”
Be sure to tune in to see Candice, and three other members of the Lit 16, read and converse at the First Quarter Fire-Circle, courtesy of Loyalty Books:
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
7:30 p.m. ET
To register, please visit: https://www.crowdcast.io/c/lit16
We hope to see you there!
You can purchase copies of Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who’ve Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn’t Enough at the Loyalty Books Lit 16 Reading site. Follow Candice on Instagram and Twitter.
In the spirit of community over competition, the Lit 16 is our way of using our platforms to shine a light on emerging writers whose art has impacted, inspired, and moved us in ways that we wanted to honor and share with you.
We could have easily created a Lit 64; there are so many fantastic recent works that we adore. Unfortunately, for many reasons, we are unable to accommodate that large of a scope. However, we do encourage all of our artistic peers to advance toward the directive set forth by the iconic and legendary Ancestor Toni Morrison: “If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.”
Be sure to follow the #Lit16 hashtag on social media and subscribe to Witness to stay up-to-date on upcoming Lit 16 events. Thank you so very much for joining us in celebration.
The Lit 16: Honoring sixteen emerging literary artists whose works are changing the game.
Blessings upon blessings,
Robert