Lecture in Rome, 21 Nov
I am now happily ensconced as a visiting researcher for the month of November at the Norwegian Institute in Rome. I am here to work on my book on Birgitta of Sweden and her reception in England, specifically to visit Birgitta's house and other churches and sites associated with Cardinal Adam Easton and Margery Kempe. The visiting researcher apartment is lovely, as is my office on the third floor of their beautiful building.
As part of my stay I will be giving a lecture in their Director's Seminar Series, on 21 November at 6pm: “St. Birgitta of Sweden in medieval Rome: On the trail of two English superfans, Cardinal Adam Easton and Margery Kempe.” If you're in Rome then, you should come!
Lecture in Edinburgh
Last week on 2 Nov I delivered the opening lecture for the Edinburgh New College Books and Belief Festival. The lecture was on 'How to Read like the Virgin' and discussed aspects of my research on the Virgin Mary's book at the Annunciation for a mixed audience of the general public as well as historians and theologians. I had a wonderful time and I think they did to!
Photos: Tam Pritchard
Volume chapter out!
“Redeeming Across Time: Philip K. Dick, Julian of Norwich, and the Art of Lifelong Revision” in Mystics, Goddesses, Lovers, and Teachers: Medieval Visions and Their Modern Legacies – Studies in Honour of Barbara Newman. Medieval Women: Texts and Contexts Series Vol. 31 (Brepols, 2023), pp. 155-170.
I just received in the mail the hard copy of my latest publication, a chapter in the festschrift for Barbara Newman, the hugely influential medieval studies, religious studies, and classic professor at Northwestern. I have known Barbara for almost twenty years and collaborated with her a few years ago to publish Richard Methley's mystical treatises.
If you know Barbara, you know that her love of cats runs as deep as her love of all things medieval. So Loki features prominently in these photos!
The topic is one I have been waiting a long time to write on - since ten years ago when I first read the NYT review of the new (and only) edition of Philip K. Dick's visionary writings, titled Exegesis. I ordered the book immediately and saw the fantastic parallels to Julian and other medieval mystics. So this invitation to contribute was the perfect impetus to finally get this article written, and it is the perfect place for it to land - in honor of a great scholar who thinks outside the box just like those two.