The fantastic Jana Riess kindly agreed to host some of my musings on Alex Cooper’s book Saving Alex, which was co-authored with Joanna Brooks. You can read my thoughts on how the book demonstrates the “safe spaces” of conservative anti-homosexuality here.

I strongly recommend the book. Alex comes across as a courageous figure, and Joanna Brooks makes sure the prose sparkles. It is very readable and shares a very important and compelling message for today.

As part of my work as a professor, I hope to use this blog as a platform to share my sporadic thoughts on scholarship, current events, and the intersections between the two. While I already contribute to a number of blogs, including The Junto, Juvenile Instructor, and By Common Consent (though I’m currently emeritus there), and I still plan to post at those locations, there are often times I have ideas that are not fully fleshed out, are quite brief, or are otherwise more fitting for a personal space. I may post frequently, like a few times a week, or I may go through many stretches of inactivity. We’ll see.

I envision this space to be an extension of my work in the classroom, and I’ll frequently be posting things directly to my current and former students. Additionally, I’ll also be highlighting recent books, articles, and presentations that have piqued my interest. And to be honest, I may frequently change my mind about my primary audience, or give up a blog entirely. Who knows!

At the very least, I’ll try to reach the standard of “Creed Thoughts.”