About Me …

Some people know me as a gardener, others as a Unitarian Universalist lay preacher, others as a teacher about Islam or a leader of discussions about economics, others as a scientific writing coach and editor.

My interests may seem like they have nothing in common, but fundamentally I like learning and thinking, writing and teaching, about challenging and important problems. In recent years, the issues of financial sustainability, environmental sustainability, and the rift between the United States and the Muslim world have seemed particularly challenging and important to me.

I started out studying biology, religion, and women’s studies at Swarthmore College. I received a Masters of Theological Studies from the Harvard Divinity School and a doctorate in American Studies from Boston University, and then taught American history at BU and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Now I interweave all three interests – history, religion, and biology – as I enjoy learning and teaching about our complicated world. (Why the flaming chalice?)

I frequently offer talks, sermons, discussion groups, and mini-courses on a wide variety of topics – from the history of Islam to earth-friendly gardening, from Memorial Day as an African American holiday to the federal budget. I’ve published two books and a few dozen articles. I try to keep my on-line resume up to date, but don’t always succeed!

If you’d like to talk with me about writing, teaching, preaching, or scientific editing, please contact me.

Thank you for visiting!