Rachel Held Evans
Encyclopedia
Rachel Held Evans is an American author and blogger who wrote the spiritual memoir Evolving in Monkey Town published by Zondervan
.
. After attending Rhea County High School
, Evans attended Bryan College
where she met her husband Dan Evans. Evans received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature when she graduated in the spring of 2003 from Bryan College
.
In the fall of 2003 Evans married Dan and changed her name to Rachel Held Evans. In 2003 Evans and her husband moved to Chattanooga, TN where they lived for their first year of marriage. During 2003 and 2004 Evans worked as an intern at the Chattanooga Times Free Press
. Then in 2004 Evans and her husband moved back to Dayton, TN where she took a full time job at the local paper The Herald News. In 2006, after leaving full time employment with the paper, Evans continued writing pro bono as the paper's humor columnist and in 2007 won the award for "Best personal humor column
Group II - Non-dailies" from the Tennessee Press Association.
From 2006-2008 Evans worked for herself doing layout, design and public relations for clients in the Dayton, TN area and writing freelance articles for national publications. Additionally, Evans started working on early drafts of her first book. In September 2008, after being rejected by other publishers, Evans signed an agent negotiated contract with Zondervan
for her first book Evolving in Monkey Town.
Zondervan
Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association .- History :...
.
Biography
Born as Rachel Grace Held on June 8, 1981 to her parents Peter and Robin Held, Evans spent her younger years in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1995, at the age of 14, Evans moved to Dayton, TN home of the famous Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925 when her father was hired for an administrative position at Bryan CollegeBryan College
Bryan College is a Christian liberal arts college in Dayton, Tennessee. It was founded in the aftermath of the 1925 Scopes Trial to establish an institution of higher education that would teach from a Christian worldview.-History:...
. After attending Rhea County High School
Rhea County High School
Rhea County High School is a high school in Evensville, Tennessee. It serves Rhea County, Tennessee, which includes Dayton, Spring City and Graysville. It has an enrollment of 1,532. Its mascot is the golden eagle. Its motto is "Reach for the Stars!"...
, Evans attended Bryan College
Bryan College
Bryan College is a Christian liberal arts college in Dayton, Tennessee. It was founded in the aftermath of the 1925 Scopes Trial to establish an institution of higher education that would teach from a Christian worldview.-History:...
where she met her husband Dan Evans. Evans received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature when she graduated in the spring of 2003 from Bryan College
Bryan College
Bryan College is a Christian liberal arts college in Dayton, Tennessee. It was founded in the aftermath of the 1925 Scopes Trial to establish an institution of higher education that would teach from a Christian worldview.-History:...
.
In the fall of 2003 Evans married Dan and changed her name to Rachel Held Evans. In 2003 Evans and her husband moved to Chattanooga, TN where they lived for their first year of marriage. During 2003 and 2004 Evans worked as an intern at the Chattanooga Times Free Press
Chattanooga Times Free Press
The Chattanooga Times Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and is distributed in the metro Chattanooga region of Tennessee and Northwest Georgia...
. Then in 2004 Evans and her husband moved back to Dayton, TN where she took a full time job at the local paper The Herald News. In 2006, after leaving full time employment with the paper, Evans continued writing pro bono as the paper's humor columnist and in 2007 won the award for "Best personal humor column
Group II - Non-dailies" from the Tennessee Press Association.
From 2006-2008 Evans worked for herself doing layout, design and public relations for clients in the Dayton, TN area and writing freelance articles for national publications. Additionally, Evans started working on early drafts of her first book. In September 2008, after being rejected by other publishers, Evans signed an agent negotiated contract with Zondervan
Zondervan
Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association .- History :...
for her first book Evolving in Monkey Town.
Published works
- Evolving in Monkey Town: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask the Questions, 2010 (ZondervanZondervanZondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association .- History :...
)
Awards
- P.A. Boyd Award (2003) - Bryan CollegeBryan CollegeBryan College is a Christian liberal arts college in Dayton, Tennessee. It was founded in the aftermath of the 1925 Scopes Trial to establish an institution of higher education that would teach from a Christian worldview.-History:...
- William Jennings Bryan Philological Award (2003) - Bryan CollegeBryan CollegeBryan College is a Christian liberal arts college in Dayton, Tennessee. It was founded in the aftermath of the 1925 Scopes Trial to establish an institution of higher education that would teach from a Christian worldview.-History:...
- Best Personal Humor Column (2007) - Tennessee Press Association
- 2010 INSPY award winner, Creative Nonfiction for Evolving in Monkey Town - 2010 INSPY Winners