By Tyler White | Editor
Readers Meet the Author, a series highlighting the prolific work of Baylor faculty and staff, will host two sessions this semester. These sessions will include discussions from Dr. João Chaves and Dr. Greg Garrett on their respective work.
The series, hosted by the University Libraries, is presented by the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost. This gives the Baylor community the opportunity to hear about their work and engage in conversations about the topics.
Dr. João Chaves, assistant professor in the Department of Religion, is one of the featured authors of his work titled “Migratory Religion: Context and Creativity in the Latinx Diaspora.” » He said his work focuses on how migration experiences impact the theological imagination and community strategies of immigrant religious networks.
“The question I seek here is, more generally, how do the dynamics of migration themselves affect the theological imagination of immigrants who are part of religious communities? » said Chaves.
Chaves said the series provides a great opportunity to showcase a variety of perspectives and expertise on varied topics. He said this allows for fruitful conversations with people who have been researching these topics for years.
“I think the series is not only important for…highlighting the importance of the work of Baylor researchers coming from different perspectives, but also, these are opportunities to engage in conversation about topics that, while they may have a historical methodology or a theological methodology, they deal meaningfully with very important current themes,” Chaves said.
Dr. Greg Garrett, Carole Ann McDaniel Hanks Professor of Literature and Culture, is a featured author for his work of fiction entitled “Bastille Day.” He said his book focuses on the idea of wrestling with the past and facing fear and loss while maintaining hope.
“What I hope people take away from this book is the idea that even though things are difficult in our current circumstances… hope is where we are supposed to end up – because if I am called to live in this world, I must feel that hope, grace and love are the defining things that carry us,” Garrett said.
Garrett said Readers Meet the Author allows faculty and staff to share their work with the Baylor community and alerts them to the prolific writing happening on campus. Additionally, he said it was a great encouragement to the featured authors, who receive university-wide support through the series.
“We teach our classes, and I hope we teach them well, but when we go out into the larger world with books or speeches or whatever it is that we do, it’s really nice to feel that we have the support of our Baylor administration behind us,” Garrett said.
Garrett said it’s great to see how many people are writing their own works with the same core values that come from their work at Baylor.
“I think one of the things that could be powerful for people is just the idea that there are people not only doing study and research, but also creating things out of their faith that they want to put into the larger world,” Garrett said. .
The first session this semester will take place on October 12 and will highlight Garrett’s novel, while the second session will take place on November 8 and will highlight Chaves’ work. Both will be in person at the Moody-Memorial Library’s Schumacher Flex Commons or online via Zoom.
