We are happy to announce that all four of our special guests are confirmed for the scholarly panel! Here is a little bit of information about them; we will put up individual posts with longer bios, pics, and more details later on.
– Corey Olsen is the founder and president of Signum University, the sponsoring institution of the symposium. He is a Medievalist by training and an expert in J.R.R. Tolkien. He’ll be providing the literary perspective on “Stories for the Refreshment of the Spirit.”
– Keith Loftin is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Humanities and Assistant Dean at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary/Scarborough College, the institution that is hosting this symposium. He’ll be providing the theological/philosophical perspective on literature and healing.
– Pat Miersma is a Mental Health Nurse-Ethnic Clinical Specialist and Global Trauma Healing Consultant. She’ll be providing the clinical/psychological/
– Pete Unseth is an Associate Professor and Department Head of Applied Anthropology at the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics in Dallas. He’ll be providing the linguistic/anthropological perspective on how heart language and performative sign language can contribute to the healing of cultural traumas.
– The panel will be moderated by Sørina Higgins, Chair of the Language & Literature Department at Signum University and a PhD candidate and Teacher of Record at Baylor. She is studying magic in 20th century British and Irish theatre; her previous work has been on Charles Williams and C. S. Lewis. If you have questions you would like her to ask the panel members, send them to info@texmoot.org.