SEPTEMBER 2026

I'm in Baku, Azerbaijan, where I'll teach this fall as a Fulbright Scholar. With Russia to the north, Iran to the south, Armenia and Georgia to the west and northwest and the Caspian Sea to the east, this is a fascinating, complex country.

I'll be here for nearly 5 months, based at Baku Eurasian University (BAU) and also visiting other universities here in Baku as well as in other regions. The whole country is only about the size of Maine.

At BAU, I'll teach two classes in the International Relations department, but these are also English classes and the students are not advanced English speakers, so it's an interesting combination. Also, the Azerbaijani educational system is largely still rooted in teacher-centered, lecture-oriented learning, so the challenge and opportunitty is to get the students to participate more and to take risks.

Outside of those classes, the presentations and workshops I do will sometimes be for faculty and/or administration, sometimes for students. Topics will include creative pedagogy, leadership, public speaking and story structure (for translation or journalism).

I was in Azerbaijan for the first time in 2024 and I both posted and published about my experiences, as well as some aspects of the country's history and geo-politics. However, I was only here a month, half of which I spent in a Lezgi village up north, running a summer camp. A lot has changed in two years, geo-politically. I've also read more Azerbaijani history and literature and am beginning (slowly!) to study the language. So I'll be getting to know the country and culture at a much deeper level. It's a rich opportunity and an honor to be here. I'm excited, grateful and ready to begin.