Greetings from Lake Wobegon Collegeville!
The Catholic Biblical Association meeting is going well; I’m catching up with friends, learning a thing or two, haven’t bought any books, and working with and avoiding editors. This morning at eleven I’ll give a presentation that’s genetically related to — but not identical to — my Winslow Lecture. I’ll make a recording of it and post it here when I get a chance.
St. John’s Abbey and University are lovely in unpredictable ways; the combination of the modern concrete bell tower, church, and library with the perpendicular brick quad and other buildings risks looking shoddy, but in fact I think the campus holds together beautifully. And the land is wonderful; you can see why people vacation in Minnesota’s lake country. The brothers of the Benedictine Abbey are welcoming us amply, and the entire experience has been enchanting. (Apart from the “sleep-in-a-dorm-=room” side; the room itself is very comfortable, but the pillow is thinner than a White House apology.)
Oh, but the sound in the honey-comb walled chapel is exquisite!
I love walking around that campus. Absolutely beautiful.
Stunning. Wicked gnats and mosquitos, though.