Humanism and the Power of Fairy Tales

Sunday Assembly Detroit is a secular congregation that meets to hear great talks and generally celebrate the wonder of life. It’s a service for anyone who wants to live better, help often, and wonder more.

This free event is in beautiful Farmington Hills. We’ll listen to a talk then enjoying a meal during the event.

**Speaker**
We don’t have clergy, instead we have local community leaders and thinkers. For this month we are having Victoria Phelps talk about Myth and Meaning: Humanism and The Power of Fairy Tales.
Here is a taste of what he’ll talk about this month:
This talk explores the connection between storytelling and humanist principles. You will learn how fairy tales, myths, and stories shape our understanding of the world. Then, we will dive into analyzing a few traditional fairy tales together. (Be warned: These early tales are much messier than Disney’s versions!) These stories are more than entertainment; they are timeless, a product of their times, and a force that shapes times. Discover how fairy tales offer meaning, connect cultures, and inform reasoning within a humanist framework.

**Our Program**
1. Welcome and Gathering Statement
2. Quick agenda outline
3. Speaker and speech introduction
4. Speaker gives talk
5. Dismissal for food
6. Everyone comes back to table(s)
7. Brief toast/address, including some short recognition of “life happens” (ie. Birthdays, other news)
8. We dig in! Feel free to chat about whatever.
9. Cleanup and taking leftovers home

**Childcare**
Families with children are encouraged to attend! There is free childcare.

**Radically Inclusive**
We are a radically inclusive community and we welcome our LGBTQIA+ brothers, sisters, and siblings. We will have material supplied from Affirmations on our welcome table along with free prophylactics and feminine hygiene products.

We also welcome everyone along the secular/religious spectrum. Whatever your degree of religion, spirituality, or utter lack thereof you are welcome here. As an organization, we don’t do religious, spiritual, or supernatural things, but we don’t dwell on that — rather we focus on Humanism and its associated values.

**Little Free Library**
If all of that doesn’t bring you in, then maybe your love of reading will. We have a running little free library at our assemblies so we encourage you to bring a book to exchange or to take a book to enjoy.

**We can’t wait to see you!**
If you’re looking for an inviting and positive community, you’ve come to the right place. We look forward to getting to know you if you’re new and welcoming you back home if you’ve been before.

**About the Speaker**
Victoria Edwards has always loved stories. This love led her to pursue an English degree, where she completed a thesis on the intersection between Victorian literary fairy tales and disability theory. It led her to a career in public libraries and a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS). And led her here—to speak with you all at the September Assembly. Victoria also serves as Secretary for Sunday Assembly Detroit.