OTL Book Club - Racing Odysseus

December 4, 2008, 12:00 – 1:30 pm, 144 Purdy/Kresge Library (Simons Room) (Flyer, PDF)

Ever thought about joining a book club at your local library, but just can't find the time? Why not join one here at WSU?? Participants in OTL workshops report that they love the opportunity to talk with their colleagues about teaching. Join us as we launch a new OTL Book Club designed to offer faculty a chance to meet during lunch once a semester to discuss meaningful and interesting books.

Our first book (suggested by a fellow WSU faculty member), Racing Odysseus: A College Professor Becomes a Freshman Again, tells the story of college president Roger H. Martin, who enrolled at St. John's College, as a sixty-one-year-old freshman after surviving a deadly cancer against tremendous odds. This engaging, often humorous memoir of his semester at St. John's tells of his journey of discovery as he falls in love again with Plato, Socrates, and Homer, improbably joins the college crew team, and negotiates friendships across generational divides. Along the way, Martin ponders one of the most pressing questions facing education today: do the liberal arts still have a role to play in a society that seems to value professional, vocational, and career training above all else? This is the moving story of a man who faces his fears, fully embraces his second chance, and in turn rediscovers the gifts of life and learning.

Registrants will receive a free copy of Martin's book prior to the discussion and lunch will be provided for all attendees. Space is limited to 10 participants, so reserve a spot soon and arrange to pick up your book by emailing us at otl@wayne.edu.