What if changing the world started with one intentional act of kindness?
In this episode of the cityCURRENT Show, host Andrew Bartolotta sits down with award-winning Memphis author, educator, historian, and speaker Alice Faye Duncan to discuss her upcoming book, Called to Rise, Created to Shine, a 50-day devotional for busy adults being published by HarperCollins on February 2, 2027.
After a celebrated career writing books for young readers—including Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop, Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free, Yellow Dog Blues, and others—Alice is entering a new chapter with her first book written specifically for adults.
At the heart of Called to Rise, Created to Shine is a simple but powerful idea: we shine when we choose to put kindness into the world.
Alice shares how the loss of her parents helped inspire the devotional and how, despite their differences, they shared two qualities that left a lasting imprint on her life: a love for Jesus and a spirit of generosity.
Throughout the conversation, Andrew and Alice explore faith, purpose, generosity, and why kindness doesn’t have to be complicated. Each of the book’s 50 entries combines Scripture, the story of a biblical or historical figure, prayer, and a practical challenge encouraging readers to put what they’ve read into action.
That action might mean calling and praying with a friend, cooking a meal for someone who’s sick, sending flowers to someone in the hospital, or simply finding a way to let another person know they are seen and cared for.
Alice also shares her vision for the book to become more than a devotional. She hopes it helps inspire a movement of generosity—people intentionally choosing to bring light into their homes, workplaces, churches, and communities through everyday acts of goodness.
It’s a conversation about what Alice has learned through decades of storytelling, the legacy her parents left behind, and the reminder found in Matthew 5 that we are called to be the light of the world.
Called to Rise, Created to Shine arrives February 2, 2027.
Learn more about Alice Faye Duncan and the book at: https://alicefayeduncan.com/%22called-to-rise%22
