Hi,
I can't offer mentoring, as I can't say I am well-versed in Smalltalk: more of a novice intermediate level programmer with an immediate ambition to become fluent in Smalltalk.
However I find your proposal immediately fascinating, and would be glad to join you in an online study group: either on this mailing list or elsewhere. I really want to learn some practical bioinformatics!
Best regards, David
p.s. I see you are a fan of either T.S. Eliot or Iain M. Banks, so an immediate thumbs up from me.