March 2026 JHBC: Allen Levi’s Theo of Golden

About this episode

Jen Hatmaker interviews author Allen Levi about his novel 'Theo of Golden' and the themes of storytelling and grace within small-town life.

Description:Some stories feel less like books and more like quiet companions. Theo of Golden is one of those. This month in the Jen Hatmaker Book Club, Jen sits down with author Allen Levi to talk about the small-town novel that has quietly captured the hearts of readers around the world. Set in the fictional town of Golden, Georgia, the story introduces us to Theo — a mysterious newcomer whose little shop becomes an unlikely gathering place for the people around him. As neighbors wander in carrying grief, questions, regrets, and ordinary Tuesdays, something remarkable begins to happen: lives shift, wounds soften, and the quiet work of grace unfolds in the most unexpected ways. But Allen’s path to writing Theo of Golden is a story of its own. Before this book found its way into readers’ hands, Allen spent decades living another life — as a litigator and as a musician and songwriter, telling stories in courtrooms and through songs long before he ever sat down to write a novel. In this conversation, Jen and Allen talk about how those two worlds — law and music — shaped the storyteller he would eventually become, and how the long arc of a creative life sometimes leads us somewhere…

People in this episode

Host: Jen Hatmaker

Guest: Allen Levi

Topics covered

• storytelling
• redemption
• belonging
• creative life
• small-town novel

Keywords

• Theo of Golden
• Allen Levi
• storytelling
• redemption
• small-town novel
• grace
• ordinary life

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Theo of Golden

Places: Golden, Georgia

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