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Dolly Parton & Spirituality

Dolly Parton is more than a musical figure–for many people, in the United States and around the world, she is a spiritual role model–or even a saint. My religious biography of Dolly Parton will be published with the Library of Religious Biography series from Eerdmans Press. In the meantime, I have written and talked about Dolly Parton and religion for a few outlets:
⏳ I’m working on Dolly Parton: A Timeline
📰 Read my piece in The Conversation about Dolly Parton’s religious legacy (August 27, 2026)
🎙️ Listen to an episode of the podcast Complexified with Amanda Henderson, “Sinner, Saint, Superstar: Dolly Parton’s Complicated Christianity” (September 3, 2026; transcript available)
📻 Listen to my interview about Dolly with Charity Nebbe on Talk of Iowa (September 25, 2026)
💖 I gave a talk at the University of Iowa on September 24, 2026, on the eve of 9/25 (9 to 5), Dolly Day