Shawna Atteberry writes at the intersection of theology, creativity, and the handmade life. A writer for more than 30 years, she began her public work with a deep focus on feminine theology — recovering the overlooked, marginalized, and misread voices in the tradition, and asking what the church loses when it ignores half the image of God. This writing led to her book What You Didn’t Learn in Sunday School: Women Who Didn’t Sit Down and Shut Up.
That question led her to a larger one. If we are made in the image of God — and the first thing Scripture tells us about God is that God creates — then what does it mean that so many people have been told their making doesn’t matter? She is currently working on a nonfiction book, The Maker’s Makers, which answers that question at full length. It will be a theology of creativity arguing that to bear the image of God is to be, by nature and by calling, a maker.
Her essays on ShawnaAtteberry.com and Substack explore that same territory in personal and practical terms: why handmade things carry spiritual weight, why maker communities have historically served as centers of resistance and hope, and what it looks like to take seriously the idea that we are, all of us, meant to create.
Her fiction continues this theme. She is currently writing a series of novels featuring ordinary people — weavers, knitters, gardeners, baristas — whose craft is both their identity and their weapon against the darkness in their world. She publishes essays on her Substack and at ShawnaAtteberry.com, where she has been writing about faith, creativity, and human flourishing since 2006.
In her free time, she cooks and bakes for friends, crochets, gardens, and reads. You can follow her cooking and baking adventures, as well as subscribe to her newsletter, on Substack at Creative Midlife Mayhem.
You can email her at Shawna@ShawnaAtteberry.com.
Rev. Shawna R. B. Atteberry is an author, preacher, theologian, and speaker who writes, dreams, and talks about women in the Bible and feminist theology. In her spare time she writes urban fantasy. Her first book
I love your description of yourself as someone who “writes, dreams, and talks about women in the Bible and feminist theology.” I’m a little obsessed myself so I recognize a member of the tribe when I read one.
I’m looking forward reading more of your work.
https://www.facebook.com/robincohnwomenofthebible
Thank you Robin! I look forward to checking out your Facebook page.
Hi shawna,
Maybe being a single woman with a call to ministry is something we can learn about from the Catholics.
After all, they have single men (priests) and single women (sisters/nuns) who have been doing it for centuries. It seems to fit in their theology as a position of authority and respect and service.
hello shawna,
You have some awesome information here for women in the Body of Christ, please prayerfully consider putting some of this on YOU TUBE
blessings
Hi Shawna,
I found your about page very articulate! I agree with Selena that I didn’t immediately know what “Godde” was about, so a definition or link would be helpful. That’s cool you belong to EEWC–I loved reading their newsletters, and that also helps me place you in context.
Another EEWCer! Yeah! I just found them and joined last year. I was so happy to know that they existed. Are you on their email group?
Very good bio. Congratulations on writing your first book. I am about 95% done with my first one.
You used a term “Godde” that I had to Google to find out what that meant. Now that I know, I wonder why you didn’t explain it in the context of what you are doing: “I empower women to be the leaders Godde calls them to be at home, work and church by exploring the Divine Feminine and stories of the women in the Bible.”
I also sense that you are passionate about your work in this area, but somehow that got a little lost for me when I was reading your About Me. For me, this read more like a resume and less like an autobiography—and I was wanting to read an autobiography. I wonder if you could revise this to be clearer, simpler and more impactful/attention-grabbing. I also wonder if the citations of your work, affiliations and experience would work better as a list towards the bottom of the post.
Hope these comments are helpful.
i love your updated “About Me” page! fabulous!
@revhipchick Thank you!
Thank you Michelle and Kimberly for taking the time to give me feedback. Kimberly, there is nothing wrong with being quietly spiritual. I know several people with your same story. You’re always welcome here.
I like this; you say what you do in such detail that the passion is there and although I’m quietly spiritual, I’m very interesting in reading more of what you like. I also like that you added something about yourself, because it makes you real and human. For me, that’s so important, because I’ve been burned so many times by organized religion that I tend to shy away from these topics; preferring instead to worship in private.
I was after you in the comments today, so I came and checked out your About me page.
It looks great – very thorough and no question about who you are or what your blog/website is about.
I think you did it completely and clearly. A+ for that assignment!! 🙂
Shawna, the link to “Abagail” does not work.
Thank you
Bill