One of the distinctive pleasures of being Director of the Center is to be able to host events in which we, the community of Harvard Divinity School, take time to attend to each other’s study, teaching, research, and writing. Among such moments, one of my favorites is the series we have hosted since 2010 on new faculty books. The events are straightforward: the faculty member agrees to share his or her book with us in this public form; she invites two or three colleagues to be discussants, to respond in their own way to the book, highlighting themes, raising questions, showing the audience the implications and limits of the book. At the session itself, the author speaks first, dealing in as straightforward a way as possible with some direct questions: How did you come to write this book with this particular focus? What were you trying to accomplish, personally and as a contribution to your field and to the wider community? In turn, the discussants share their insights, and then the remaining time is filled out with further discussion among the author, discussants, and audience. While books are not for sale at these events, those in attendance are often inspired to seek out a copy and read it for themselves.
—By Francis X. Clooney, SJ