Insight Sunday Presents Michelle Fiordaliso and Lindsay Morris

“Rejection and belonging are two sides of the same coin,” says Michelle Fiordaliso, acclaimed essayist. Join Fiordaliso for an Insight Sunday at The Church on October 20, at noon in a program that looks behind the scenes of her latest work “Rejected: Essays on Belonging.”

“These essays are about self-love, embracing the difficult transitions, and discovering community even in times of isolation,” explains Fiordaliso, who will be joined at the event by Lindsay Morris, whose photography is included in the newly released book.

The two will discuss the inspiration and impetus for the book and highlight the collaborative process, a process that Fiordaliso feels is gaining new traction in the post-COVID world. There will be a limited number of signed books available for those in attendance. Following the discussion there will be a Q&A with the audience.

In her new book, Fiordaliso, whose work has graced the pages of The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and Ms., explores 14 poignant and sometimes humorous essays that were once turned away by various publications. Each essay transforms the notion of rejection into an opportunity for reflection and personal growth, examining moments of profound change from moving cross-country as a single mother to being a 9/11 first responder.

Photographer Lindsay Morris, who is a regular contributor to The New York Times, a 2023 TED speaker, producer of the 2016 BBC documentary “My Transgender Summer Camp” and publisher of “You Are You,” a monograph about a camp for gender-expansive gender, is no stranger to the exploration of belonging and the alchemical gold found in transforming rejection. Moriss’s work compliments Fiordaliso’s writing with black-and-white photography that sets the scene for each essay.

Tickets are $10 (members free with RSVP) at thechurchsagharbor.org. The Church is at 48 Madison Street in Sag Harbor.