Emily R. Mace, PhD
UU Seminarian · Writer · Editor · Historian
Welcome!
I'm Emily Mace—a Unitarian Universalist (UU) seminarian, historian of liberal religion, and religious studies PhD with a deep connection to words and writing as a practice of ritual and care.
This site connects the threads of my work: editorial services, Unitarian Universalist study and leadership, and reflective writing.
UU Seminarian and Historian
Studying for my MDiv at Meadville Lombard Theological School, anticipated graduation spring 2027
Web Administrator for the UU Studies Network
Former Executive Director of the Harvard Square Library
Former Adjunct Instructor in UU History and Polity at Starr King School for the Ministry (2010-2012)
Contributor at WorshipWeb and elsewhere
Pulpit supply speaker in the Chicago/Milwaukee areas
Editing Services and Writing Coaching
“Words With Care”
Looking for a compassionate, thoughtful editor for your writing project?
I specialize in working with authors, ministers, scholars, and creatives who need clarity without losing their voice.
Writing
My writing has appeared at the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Religion Dispatches, and in academic journals such as the Journal of Religion and the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion.
Until recently, I served as a co-editor-in-chief of Killing the Buddha, an online magazine of religion, culture, and politics, where I contributed essays with a liberal spiritual and political emphasis.
I’m an editorial contributor to A Documentary History of Unitarian Universalism, Vols. 1 and 2, as well as to other volumes focused on religious liberalism.
Some of my favorite pieces have been:
“‘Citizens of All the World’s Temples’: Cosmopolitan Religion at Bell Street Chapel,” in American Religious Liberalism, edited by Leigh E. Schmidt and Sally M. Promey. Indiana University Press, 2012.
“Comparative Religions and the Practice of Eclecticism: Intersections in Nineteenth-Century Liberal Religious Congregations.” The Journal of Religion, Fall 2013.
"The Left Hand of Darkness in Light of #MeToo," Los Angeles Review of Books,
"When Wax Softens, Light Shines Through," Killing the Buddha, December 13, 2018.
Fiber Arts
Knitting, Spinning Yarn, Weaving
The fiber arts aren’t just a hobby for me, they’re a way of life, a metaphor of connection, and a reminder that we’re all in this together. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote in his “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” Weaving, spinning, and knitting offer daily reminders of the truth of these words, how each strand supports the other, how we are connected, and how deeply those connections matter.
