Annie McCune has spent her life proving that connection is not a luxury but a calling. Her work, her writing, and her daily rhythms all point back to a simple conviction: people were made to know and be known. In a world that feels increasingly fractured, she believes the antidote begins at the most ordinary place: the table. “Hospitality isn’t entertaining,” she says. “It’s loving strangers as family, and it starts with learning to say hello.”
That belief is the heartbeat of AnnieBooks.com, the platform she created to help people rediscover biblical hospitality. The site exists to teach, encourage, and gently challenge visitors to open their lives to others without the pressure of perfection or the expectation of reciprocity. Its mission is rooted in the New Testament idea of philoxenia, a word McCune loves for its clarity: loving strangers. Not impressing them. Not performing for them. Loving them.
Her journey toward this work began long before the website. McCune grew up in Western New York and later graduated from Dartmouth College, where she met her husband, Lee. Together they raised four children and now delight in a growing family that includes 12 grandchildren and a remarkable extended circle of international “kids” and “grandkids” from Honduras, Australia, Afghanistan, and Kyrgyzstan. “We always leave room for more at the table,” she says, and it’s not a metaphor. Thousands of people, including friends, neighbors, and complete strangers, have crossed their threshold over the past four decades.
Her motivation is unapologetically rooted in her faith. “Christ told me to love God and love my neighbors,” she explains. “I decided to take Him seriously.” That decision has shaped every chapter of her life, from serving on nonprofit boards to welcoming people into her home at inconvenient hours. She has held leadership roles with organizations such as the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, public school boards, and the Eleazar Wheelock Society at Dartmouth. Yet she insists her favorite assignment will always be loving on family, friends, and strangers.
AnnieBooks.com grew out of a desire to share the stories behind that lifelong practice. Her first book, Practicing Hospitality: The Joy and Grace of Loving Strangers, chronicles moments when she was both the giver and receiver of hospitality. The stories are warm, sometimes surprising, and always grounded in the belief that ordinary people can change the atmosphere of their communities simply by opening their doors. She is currently writing the follow-up, Operation Hello, which focuses on overcoming the excuses that keep people from connecting. “We’ve forgotten how to greet each other,” she says. “Reengaging with hospitality starts with something as small as a hello.”
Her TEDx talk, viewed by audiences around the world, echoes the same message. She argues that hospitality is not a quaint tradition but a radical response to hostility and loneliness. The practice, she insists, is accessible to everyone. No perfect home required. No elaborate meal necessary. Just a willingness to see people and make space for them.
Through AnnieBooks.com, her writing, and her speaking engagements, McCune is inviting people into a movement that feels both ancient and urgently needed. She believes that if more of us embraced the courage to welcome others, communities would heal, churches would grow, and strangers would become family. She says, “Can you imagine the impact if we simply used the gift of hospitality we’ve already been given?”
Her life suggests the answer. And her work is helping others discover it for themselves.
