Local author Shannan Martin was announced last week as the keynote speaker for Goshen College’s 128th commencement ceremony, which is set to take place on April 26. Martin will share a speech entitled “Two Buckets” with the graduating class of 2026.

“Shannan Martin is transforming our local community every day through her servant leadership. I am so excited to have her speak to our graduates as they begin their next chapters,” President Rebecca Stoltzfus said. 

Martin holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Bethel University in Mishawaka. She is the author of four books, a weekly newsletter and “The Soup,” a popular Substack. 

However, Martin said she “never imagined” herself as an author.

“My writing life came to me somewhat unexpectedly,” she said. “When we moved to Goshen, that’s when things started to kind of crystallize in my mind that I had a story to tell … But I was just as surprised by that as anybody. It wasn’t something I set out to do.”

Martin said that she was inspired to write by the community she encountered in Goshen. For Martin, one of the biggest keys to being a writer was learning to be attentive to the world she found herself in. 

Goshen was a very different environment from the one she grew up in. As a result, Martin was exposed to a diverse array of people and perspectives that added a “richness” to her life and writing. 

Martin said the move to Goshen had such a profound impact on her life that most of her books ended up being very “place-specific to Goshen.” Her first book, “Falling Free,” details her journey to Goshen. Her next two books, “The Ministry of Ordinary Places” and “Start With Hello,” focus on settling, finding belonging and living as neighbors in community. 

Martin’s most recent book, “Counterweights: An Essential Practice for Holding Hope in a Heavy World,” was released this past Tuesday. The book draws on Martin’s personal experiences in this community, but also speaks to a more widespread struggle of persevering through hard times. 

“It feels like there is a lot of heaviness in the air and in the world around us,” Martin said. “So, it is crucial for us to find the little things in life to help lift us up … so that we can continue to move forward and breathe through the chaos.”

When not writing, Martin spends her time working at The Window, a community kitchen located in downtown Goshen. Martin enjoys her work there, once again, for the way she is able to observe community on display. 

“I love the communal nature,” Martin said of The Window. “I think a lot of people show up because they need lunch, but a lot of other people show up because they want to be with other people.”

When asked to be this year’s commencement speaker at GC, Martin did not hesitate to accept. “It was very humbling and a great honor … Goshen College is such a special part of this community and … defines the character of this city.”

Martin refrained from sharing too much about the content of her speech, but she did share how her speech was partly shaped by the excitement and bittersweetness she remembers feeling as a graduate. 

“I mostly remember the feeling of, ‘This is an important page in the book of my life,’” Martin said. “That feeling of the future feeling wide open. It just felt like anything was possible.”

Martin also said that she is looking forward to being a part of the commencement ceremony in large part because of the way the Goshen community has shaped her. 

“I was moved by what it means to be loved by this community,” Martin said. “It has grown my empathy. It has helped me see more nuance in the world. It has made me more interested in issues of justice … I’m looking forward to sharing some of what I’ve learned.”