Thank You to everyone who joined me for EVEN NOW this week. Special thanks to Brian Allen and Billy Dwyer. Both video recordings are now available. You will be able to access them until 10/13 and you also get a discount code for $5 off event merch. ***September 12 Update: I'm honored to share that my friend Billy Dwyer will be joining me this evening. Billy’s sister Melissa died by suicide in 2013, after struggling with chronic migraine disease. *** EVEN NOW returns on World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10), which coincides with National Suicide Prevention Week (September 8-14) in the United States. Like last year’s inaugural event, EVEN NOW will happen online. I’ll be speaking, exploring the idea that life continues to be worth living. I’m excited to share some fresh thoughts on mental health, vulnerability, connection, hope, and more. My talk will be followed by Q&A. This time around, because World Suicide Prevention Day is global—and people are awake, asleep, and working at different times—EVEN NOW will happen twice. The first is 3pm ET on WSPD (mostly for Brian & Vicky in Scotland) and then we’ll do it again two days later (Thursday, September 12) at 8pm ET. One ticket covers both, along with both recordings. Your ticket also comes with $5 off EVEN NOW merch. You: What exactly is this event? Is it a small-group conversation? Do I have to say anything? Me: This is not a small-group conversation. You don’t have to say a word. EVEN NOW will look more like a traditional speaking event, except we will meet online and I’ll be sitting at my desk. After welcoming everyone, I’ll speak for roughly an hour. There will be time for Q&A after that, meaning I’ll stick around to answer questions. After a lot of years of doing these types of events, I can tell you that Q&A tends to be the highlight. Levi The Poet was part of the first EVEN NOW. Will he be coming back? I wish! Levi will be in Winston-Salem celebrating the 10th anniversary of his album Correspondence (A Fiction). He is doing a long tour and you should definitely go see him. My friend Brian Allen will be joining us from Scotland on World Suicide Prevention Day. Billy Dwyer will be our guest on 9/12. You mentioned “online.” What will the format / platform be? Zoom Webinar. Same as last year. Do I need to buy a ticket in order to attend? Yes. Why? Because this is my job. Gracie’s treats cost money. That said, my hope is that pricing the event at $15 makes it affordable for most people. If you want to watch EVEN NOW with a friend or group of friends, I would love that. When is EVEN NOW? Tuesday, September 10 at 3pm ET. And Thursday, September 12 at 8pm ET. Was the original plan to do the event twice on the 10th for World Suicide Prevention Day? Yes, but then we learned the presidential debate is back on. I'm of the belief that caring about people means caring about things that affect people, and I believe that applies to politics. So rather than ask folks to choose between the debate and EVEN NOW, I decided to push it back a couple days. There is still the earlier option (3pm ET) on World Suicide Prevention Day and I like that September 12 still falls within National Suicide Prevention Week in the United States. Will there be a recording? Yes. Two recordings actually. Each one will be available the following day and you will be able to watch until October 1. What if I can’t make it and want a refund? Sales are final. No refunds. The good news is that even if you can’t be there when it happens, you will be able to watch the two recordings. Any merch? Yes! A sweatshirt plus two tees. And once again, when you purchase a ticket to the event, you will receive a discount code good for $5 off merch.
