Faces of SAL: Bradley Lane
July 29, 2024
Welcome to the SAL board, Bradley Lane!
To welcome Bradley to the board, we spoke to him about his career in education, postcolonial astrology, and some favorite books. . .
What’s your current occupation?
I serve as the president of Seattle Central College and have been an educator for almost my entire career. As a middle school, high school, and college English teacher, I have loved igniting a passion for reading and writing with students of all ages. Now as a higher education leader, I continued to be inspired to work with organizations—including SAL!—that transform lives through the power of education.
What was your favorite book as a kid (and why)?
My favorite book as a kid was The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. I think it activated my love of fantasy and also wordplay. I also keenly felt the dual attraction to both words and numbers as epitomized by the two brother-rulers of the book, King Azaz the Unabridged and the Mathmagician. Fun fact: while I was always a much better math student in school, it was English that really activated my imagination because I found it more interesting when there wasn’t one correct answer to a question.
What is your favorite SAL event (and why)?
A recent SAL event that got me much more interested in the organization was a conversation with Anand Giridharadas regarding his book The Persuaders in late 2022. The event helped to energize me into becoming more active in my community. In a time when our personalized media environments are increasingly targeted by algorithms into creating echo chambers of the same ideas and viewpoints, The Persuaders reinforces the need to engage meaningfully with individuals who hold different viewpoints than you. This is the kind of engagement that really creates the public sphere. That book, and the conversation that it enabled, got me going back to more SAL events and eventually joining the Board!
What’s your favorite book right now (and why)?
The book I have been recommending the most lately is Postcolonial Astrology by Alice Sparkly Kat. I have a huge interest in astrology and I like how the writers applies postcolonial theories to imagine different interpretive possibilities for astrological signs and planets outside of dominant Western, largely Greco-Roman mythological formations.
What’s your ideal Sunday?
A great cup of coffee and a savory baked treat to start the morning, then some gym time and a trip to the Ballard Sunday market. If there’s time, I might peruse the records at Sonic Boom before heading to home to cook for the week ahead.
Thank you so much, Bradley! We’re thrilled to have you on the SAL board!