Why We Pray
Ryan Stroud’s Why We Pray is a transgressive memoir about one man’s descent into the world that lurks beneath the one most people know. Told through a collection of short stories, it traverses a juvenile detention center, the presidential honor guard, the sex and drug underground, and beyond. Absurdly tragic, darkly funny, and unflinchingly honest, Stroud weaves a raw and mesmerizing account of personal transcendence in a world where nothing is as it seems.
About
Ryan Stroud is an American author recognized for his stories about life on the edge. He is the author of Why We Pray and the weekly column Veritable Genuis. His work has also been published in Oregon Humanities Magazine. From 2009 through 2017, he was a regular in the Pacific Northwest storytelling scene, performing at legendary venues including The Alberta Rose Theater and Pickathon. From 2014 through 2016, Stroud founded and ran an applied storytelling project called CommuniTalks, in which he facilitated restorative narrative workshops for trauma survivors in collaboration with Portland’s Office of Equity and Human Rights, and Portland State University’s Disability Resource Center, Women’s Resource Center, and Veterans Resource Center. In 2016 and 2017, Stroud was an Oregon Humanities Conversation Project Leader, facilitating public conversations about homelessness in communities around the state. In recent years he studied with Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club), who taught Stroud how to turn his work into literature. Stroud holds a Master of Science degree in Conflict Resolution from Portland State University and is a U.S. Navy veteran.
