Becca Stevens is a graceful prose stylist for whom writing, like love, is a practical endeavor. It is designed, she says, to move readers toward a shared ideal of love and compassion for the world as it is. Her books are Finding Balance: A Sisters Bible Study; Hither & Yon: A Travel Guide for the Spiritual Journey; Find Your Way Home: Words from the Street, Wisdom from the Heart; Sanctuary: Unexpected Places Where God Found Me, nominated by Christianity Today as best spirituality book of 2005, and her latest, Funeral for a Stranger. They have grown out of her work as chaplain of St. Augustine's Chapel at Vanderbilt University, and as founder and director of Magdalene, a residential community for women with a criminal history of drug abuse and prostitution. Her work with Magdalene has earned national attention and spawned both a cottage industry, Thistle Farms, and related programs here and overseas.

            To date, she has raised nearly $10 million and gained nationwide press coverage for the organizations she supports. She has won numerous awards from organizations including the Frist Foundation and the Academy of Women in Achievement. She has been named the "Alumnus of the Year" by the School of Theology at the University of the South, "Nashvillian of the Year" by the Nashville Scene and "Tennessean of the Year" by The Tennessean. She has written a number of articles, is a widely traveled speaker, and has both a blog and podcasts available online at www.beccastevens.org. She lives in Nashville with her husband, Grammy-winning songwriter Marcus Hummon, and their three sons, Levi, Caney and Moses.