Meet the Author: William Lobdell

Join CFI and the Secular Humanist Society of New York for a special, free Book Club "Meet the Author" event with William Lobdell, an award-winning journalist, author, blogger, speaker, college lecturer and media consultant whose new memoir — “Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America — and Found Unexpected Peace” (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0061626813?tag=trigeekdreams-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0061626813&adid=1CN9X3DHP4YR8RF5CECY&) — details his experience starting on the religion beat for the Los Angeles Times as a devout evangelical Christian and, eight years later, ending as an atheist.

Lobdell worked for 18 years with the Los Angeles Times and its sister newspapers, covering the religion beat for The Times for eight years, first as a columnist and then as a beat reporter. He earned several national awards for his work before becoming a metro editor for the paper in 2006. He left the paper in 2008. Lobdell has also been a visiting faculty member for 12 years at the University of California, Irvine, where he teaches “Religion and the Media” and “The Internet, Blogs and Politics.”

He is owner of Four Boys New Media, an online publishing company that operates Greer’s OC, williamlobdell.com, Lobdell’s OC, and two digital magazines that will debut this fall. His company also offers corporate media consulting.

Lobdell will talk about his book, then take questions from the audience. The event will end around 4:30, at which time we will head over to Pongsri, a Thai restaurant at 165 23rd street (and 7th avenue). There, books will be sold and Lobdell will sign those or a copy of his book you already own.

Friends and supporters of the Center are invited to meet at the community room at 2 p.m. for roughly one hour of intimate conversation with William Lobdell before the event starts. To become a Friend of the Center, click here (https://www.centerforinquiry.net/friends).