This book is a collection of stories about teaching and learning in the liberal arts classroom, written by a Quaker who is a part-time professor of American literature and gender studies at a small, historically Quaker, liberal arts college for women outside of Philadelphia. The author reflects on the point and purpose of education in such a space, with a particular concern for the religious and interactive dimensions of the process. This book includes multiple accounts by students and colleagues, reflecting on their own experiences of teaching and learning and acknowledges the powers and limits of storytelling as a means of making sense of what happens in the college classroom.

The Author: Anne French Dalke received her Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Pennsylvania. She is Senior Lecturer in English at Bryn Mawr College, where she coordinates the Feminist and Gender Studies Program and is particularly committed to the McBride Scholars Program for women beyond traditional college age. She has published widely on pedagogical and canonical questions.