The Supernatural and the Self with Lesley Finn

The ‘With Books’ option includes all titles required for this group at an additional 10% discount from our Bookstore.

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Meeting Dates:
4/4, 5/2, 5/30
In Person at The Center

What does an early-twentieth-century British novel about a spinster have in common with a contemporary personal history from a Colombian writer and a story collection rooted in ancient Japanese folklore? Witchcraft, ghost sightings, and shapeshifting women are just the start. Our group will trace the otherworldly threads that connect these remarkable and award-winning books and, in the process, examine the luminous relationship between the supernatural and the self at their core.

In preparation for the first class, please read Lolly Willowes.

• Session I: Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner
• Session II: The Man Who Could Move Clouds by Ingrid Rojas Contreras
• Session III: Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda

What to expect from this reading group: This reading group is conversational, and participant driven. The instructor will provide prompts and context at the beginning of meetings to initiate discussion, but the conversation is usually led by the group, with the instructor on hand to facilitate.

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Lesley Finn writes and makes visual art about hauntings, history, and gender. Her prize-winning essays and short stories appear in Longreads, Sunspot Literary, Atticus Review, Calyx, and elsewhere. For her recent work on séances, Spiritualist women, and telegraphy she was awarded an Eccles Fellowship at the British Library. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.A. in English from Columbia University, an M.Phil in Medieval and Renaissance Studies from the University of Cambridge, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. She lives in Connecticut, where she teaches at Yale University.