aerial view of Western's campus at night facing northwest, with golden lights surrounded by dark trees

Whatcom READS welcomes Laurie Trautman and Ted Alden for "The Future of Borders," Feb. 7

Whatcom READS will host a free public talk with WWU Border Policy Research Institute Director Laurie Trautman and College of Business and Economics Ross Distinguished Professor Edward Alden at 4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 7, at Whatcom Museum.

Borders are largely constructed to prevent "bad" things from entering a country — drugs, unwanted foreigners, pandemics — with questionable results. Drawing from their 2025 book, "When the World Closed Its Doors: The COVID-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders," they will share how an over-reliance on borders not only has deplorable humanitarian consequences, as captured in the 2026 Whatcom READS selection, "Solito," but also infringes upon the mobility and rights of everyday citizens.