I am an author, the Brooke Russell Astor Professor of the Humanities, and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Brown University. My work often pertains to the intersection of modern Western religious, political, and environmental thought, and it is as likely to engage poetry and literature as it is philosophy and critical theory. I am currently working on the book project, Radical Romanticism: Religion, Democracy, and the Environmental Imagination. My most recent publication is In Search of a Course. I live in Barrington, Rhode Island, with my wife and three children.
IN SEARCH OF A COURSE | January 2021
Years in the making, In Search of a Course recounts the story of a
fateful road-trip through the American Southwest that marked a critical
philosophical and spiritual awakening during a time of personal crisis. It
is a story of renewal, friendship, and hope. It recounts those days in the
desert that saved my life. Furthermore, the book reflects on the culture of
higher education and asks fundamental questions about the art of
learning and teaching. From my experiences in the desert, I received a
distinct feeling of belonging—to the earth, to a spiritual and intellectual
ancestry, and to a friendship. I began to see this embodied belonging as
innately tied to teaching, to environmental commitment, and to love. It
initiated my deliverance from grief and became the most important gift I
could impart to my students.
In Search of a Course is my fourth book, but my first trade book and
memoir, and it is set to be released early January of 2021. To learn more about the book, see the official Regal House publishing site.
You can also find me on Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook, or head over to the ‘Works’ tab.
Want to listen in on one of my lectures? Click here for a link to my lecture, “Racial and Environmental Justice in the Wild.”