3 Key Ideas
Every attempt to explain our purpose shows different facets and explores new ideas.
Creativity Thrives In Community
I believe this with a passion! So many innovators are locked in and limited because they are convinced that they have to go it alone. I encourage you to take two bold steps. First, explore the possibilities of building a circle of support for the work that you do. Second, expand your view of how you can help others and they can help you. In Bandersnatch, I suggest that we all need to surround ourselves with people who offer encouragement, who correct and challenge us, who act as resonators, and who provide practical help. Each of these seemingly common roles is given a deeper meaning throughout my books, articles, interviews, and lectures. Creativity Thrives in Community. This is the common thread in everything I do.
Intellectual Hospitality
I discovered this phrase about ten years ago, and I champion this idea every chance I get. For me, intellectual hospitality is not mere tolerance. It is a way of honoring one another and appreciating our differences. Here’s how I define it: “Intellectual Hospitality occurs when persons of good will seek to engage one another with the goal of greater understanding. It is modeled on the ancient practice of offering sanctuary to the stranger while honoring specific guidelines that constrain both the host and the guest. It is characterized by generosity, built on mutual respect, and serves as an expression of humility, patience, and curiosity.” Interested in learning more? Visit the Intellectual Hospitality Hub HERE.
The Algebra of Friendship
The Algebra of Friendship: I coined this phrase to express the idea that each of our friends brings out a different side of the people that we know. For example, when my daughter is with her music teacher, I see a side of her I’ve never seen before. Or when my friend Megan is with her friend Meredith, I see a goofy side of her that I had never noticed. The idea of The Algebra of Friendship was first suggested to me by C. S. Lewis. In his book The Four Loves, he explains the huge loss he experienced when his friend Charles Williams died. He says he misses Charles, but there is more: he also misses the parts of Tolkien that only Charles brought to light. Lewis concludes that rather than having more of Tolkien “having him to myself,” he has much less.
Thoughts from students about their teacher at
Azusa Pacific Honors College
I hear people speak of Dr. Glyer as only a scholar. But, when you meet or study under her, you quickly realize her heart is that of a mentor, an educator, or a pastor. Her scholarship is sharp, of course, but it is in her ability to imagine what a student can become and then her investment into helping that student grow into that shared ideal where her influence lies.
Daniel – Student at Azusa Pacific University
Dr. Glyer is a teacher and scholar of unparalleled dedication and excellence. Her work with creativity and collaboration has revolutionized my understanding of humanity’s creative potential in general and mine in particular. Dr. Glyer is rigorous with herself and others, but her graciousness as a professor, mentor, and scholar is still her most defining feature. She has never withdrawn from any challenge and, in turn, has supported a multitude of her students and colleagues as they faced their own.
Meredith – Student at Azusa Pacific University
Just in case you don’t need anything official and are just hoping to collect some random facts, click the link below.
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