Chapel Talk, 2017 March 22: Borders / Will Speers

Will Speers discusses Libyan writer Hisham Matar's article "The Border is Always Open" as "the clearest expression of the power of books I’ve read in 38 years of teaching; his words became my belief, his vision my creed." The crossing of borders through literature enables recognition of the self, no matter the setting or the characters. Relevant to the present-day debate, this figurative crossing of borders offers "moments of connection and identification" towards the literal of those deemed as "other." For Will, "a border announces discovery because there’s something on the other side – an invitation to learn, a mystery to unearth, an insight that will vibrantly bond me to others in affirming ways."