This year, along with delivering the annual lecture, and with the help of former Middlebury professor and dean, Karl Lindholm, I will be working with a group of students in the class on a project that should be great fun for all.
My next book, the novel, An African Rebound, will be published in late-fall 2012/early-spring 2013. During the Middlebury January term, the Beaney/Rowe class will involve a group of students reading up to a certain key point in the novel, and then writing an essay on what they think will happen.
Karl, an old and dear friend, will work with me on the project. Karl is now in the process of reading and critiquing the book. He, too, will take part in the critical thinking exercise of guessing what will happen. The end result will be a pizza party in early-February, at which the participating students will read their essays and Karl will offer his comments. At the end of the evening, all participants will receive a copy of the rest of the book.