Join activities, celebrations, study groups, spiritual empowerment and education programs for young people, and more.
Baha’i beliefs address essential spiritual themes for humanity’s collective and individual advancement. Learn more about these and more.
Featured in: Dating, Courtship, Marriage
In the Baha’i teachings marriage is referred to as “a fortress for wellbeing” and family is considered a fundamental and indispensable unit of society and the mainstay of community life.
The dynamic duo of Susanne M. Alexander and Johanna Merritt Wu have collaborated once again to create a conversation-generating book called Relationship Talk.
Susanne is a relationship and marriage educator and coach. Johanna is an organizational psychologist who specializes in executive coaching, leadership development, corporate mergers, and teamwork. Together, they have produced a new resource of questions and quotations to help spark discussions and heartfelt connections and they kindly agreed to tell us all about it!
Can you please tell us a little bit about your book Relationship Talk and how it is meant to be used?
Relationship Talk is a tool for informal or formal settings, usually a group of friends or a couple–or even for individuals as a reflection guide. It’s designed to be a conversation starter about relationships and marriage, with just a few prompting questions on each topic, followed by brief relevant excerpts from Baha’i quotations.
For example, under the topic of “Before You Meet Someone Special” is this question: “What do you think are the signals that someone is mature enough and ready for a serious relationship?” Under the heading, “All the Money Stuff” is this question: “What financial management topics are essential for you and a partner to agree on before marriage for the best cooperation?”
What inspired you to put this book together?
Johanna has been hosting and leading groups of youth and young adults in weekly gatherings for over 15 years. She has often used our book Marriage Can Be Forever—Preparation Counts! as a tool because it has hundreds of questions on many topics for courting couples to explore. But she envisioned something small and easy to toss around a group of friends to get conversations going. Her groups are diverse and include both college and high school students. Of course, some are familiar with the Baha’i Faith, and some aren’t. So, we wanted something very accessible to a wide range of people–something new–that would gently lead people toward self-preparation for marriage–and to our books Starting with Me: Knowing Myself Before Finding a Partner and Marriage Can Be Forever—Preparation Counts!, both newly in print in revised editions.
How did the book come about? What was your collaborative creative process like?
We had been talking about this concept of a book of questions for about a decade, but Susanne kept picturing one that had thousands of questions, and Johanna was thinking much more moderately! What really informs our collaboration is open-hearted consultation, prayer-based efforts, and being willing to talk through the hard stuff. It took us a few iterations for the vision of a small book to emerge. Initially, we even thought it might be better as a deck of cards–until we checked the production costs! Susanne was the primary author and originated most of the text and the related quotations. Johanna then carefully assessed what content was viable and what didn’t work as well, often in collaboration with youth. She then provided edits back to Susanne for the next draft. As needed, Johanna reached out to an even more diverse group of friends and collaborators to make sure we were on target and handling sensitive topics with care and grace.
What was something surprising you learned in the process of creating this resource
We thought that Relationship Talk would strike a chord, but we have been very encouraged by how many people are finding it a useful tool as soon as they buy it. It’s so light that you can carry it in a pocket, purse, or backpack and bring it into many different environments. The reception from buyers has been overwhelmingly positive about its usefulness and convenience.
Who is your audience?
We see Relationship Talk as primarily for an audience of 15 to 35 year olds who are interested in having conversations to better understand their own and others’ thoughts and opinions about relationships and marriage, as well as how they want to grow to be ready for them.
Even though our primary focus was for Relationship Talk to be used in groups, we know that people of all ages are interested in these topics. So, we know it will be used in many settings. The material is relevant for people of all ages, backgrounds, and relationship statuses. Self-reflection questions about spiritual growth, communication skills, emotional strengths, and perspectives on life are certainly relevant at any stage of anyone’s life. We’ve left space for people to jot down notes and reflections after each question. Having Baha’i Writings included enhances the experience of diving into thought-provoking questions.
Thank you so much, Susanne and Johanna!
You can purchase Relationship Talk from a variety of book retailers including Bahaibooks.com.au as well as on Susanne’s website.
"*" indicates required fields
Join activities, celebrations, study groups, spiritual empowerment and education programs for young people, and more.
Horizons is an online magazine of news, stories and reflections from around individuals, communities
and Baha’i institutions around Australia
Baha’i beliefs address essential spiritual themes for humanity’s collective and individual advancement. Learn more about these and more.
We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their cultures; and to elders both past and present.
The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent authoritative views of the Baha’i Faith.
Visit the site of the
Australian Baha’i Community
and the Baha’i Faith Worldwide
