About the Instructor & Testimonials

Instructor

The Rev. Dr. Adam Robersmith is a Unitarian Universalist minister, spiritual director, artist, and educator. He serves as the Senior Minister of the Universalist Church of West Hartford, Connecticut, while also supporting the work of ministerial and spiritual formation within and beyond Unitarian Universalism through a private practice of spiritual direction, consulting work, and teaching as an adjunct professor at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago.

A graduate of Cornell University’s biology program, Adam holds a Master of Divinity from Starr King School for the Ministry, a Master of Arts from Fielding Graduate University, a Doctor of Ministry from Chicago Theological Seminary, and a PhD from Fielding Graduate University. His undergraduate studies focused on Biology (Neurobiology, Behavior, and Ecology) as well as Myth, Ritual, and Literature. He was the St. Lawrence Fellow for the study of Universalist History in seminary and studied the process of spiritual formation for his doctorate. He is a member of the Gay Coaches Alliance and holds certificates in Spiritual Direction and Permaculture Design.

Beyond his religious vocation, he has performed, created, and taught in various media with over 35 years of arts and performance experience. He is an artist who most often works in fiber as a spinner, weaver, and knitter; a musician who plays harp, bodhran, and sings; and a writer of poetry, fiction, and spiritually focused non-fiction. When he is not actively tending his garden in the woods of Connecticut, he can often be found enjoying it and the wilder spaces beyond with his partner of nearly 30 years.

Testimonials

“Rev. Dr. Adam Robersmith's class, How to Actually Show Up: Resourcing for Public Intimacy and Leadership, brings together the concept of public intimacy and its private demands. It rightly understands that whether one is an activist, an actor, dancer, comedian, sex worker, politician, or clergy, the boundaries of public/private life can take a toll. As an activist for sex workers, I was delighted to be welcomed into this space dialoging with other professions as we connected around the complexities, challenges, relational struggles, and even stigmas we all face in our collective jobs.”

—J Leigh Oshiro, Program Officer & Movement Analyst, New Moon Network

 

“The topic of public intimacy is one of the most important things I didn't learn about in seminary. It is simultaneously about self-care and deepening one's ministry to others. This is a skillset that is deeply needed in our hyperconnected world.”

—Rev. Kevin W. Jagoe, Minister, BuxMont Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

 

“When I first read the phrase 'public intimacy,' I thought, oh my gosh, yes, that! Learning about it felt like having someone describe the challenging parts of my life as a pastor with a clarity and precision I hadn't experienced. Now that I can articulate it, I can face it.”

—Rev. Tara Humphries | Minister, Allen Avenue UU Church