In celebration of the diverse collection of faculty publications hitting bookshelves this year, Fairfield University’s College of Arts and Sciences is presenting a three-part series of free virtual book launches featuring live readings and conversations with faculty authors Kris Sealey, PhD; Sara Brill, PhD; Carol Ann Davis, MFA; and Phil Klay, MFA.

The series kicked off on October 16 with Creolizing the Nation, a virtual conversation co-sponsored by Northwestern University Press, the Southern Journal of Philosophy, Fairfield University, and the University of Memphis, featuring philosophy professor Dr. Kris Sealey in discussion with fellow philosopher Michael Monahan.

Drawing on Caribbean, decolonial, and Latina feminist resources, Dr. Sealey’s groundbreaking new book, Creolizing the Nation, argues that creolization provides a rich theoretical ground for rethinking the nation-form and deploying its political and cultural apparatus to imagine more just, humane communities. Through exhaustive research, she demonstrates that the concept of the nation is not doomed to replicate colonial nationalism but can instead support new possibilities for liberation and justice. A live recording of the full discussion is available for viewing on the Northwestern University Press Facebook page.

On Wednesday, November 11, at 5 p.m., the series continues with a virtual book launch for Aristotle on the Concept of Shared Life featuring author and Fairfield associate philosophy professor Dr. Sara Brill in conversation with Josh Hayes, PhD, assistant professor of philosophy at Alvernia University. Co-presented by the Humanities Institute and the Department of Philosophy, the online event will delve into Brill’s recent publication, which offers the first comprehensive study on the concept of shared life as an essential aspect of Aristotle’s ethical and political theory. Through advanced scholarship, Dr. Brill advances the critical interdisciplinary approach to the questions of life, the animal, and political animality in Aristotle's work, highlighting the reciprocity between his zoological and political theorizing.

To pre-register for the book launch and receive an event link, contact Joann Ference, program assistant, at jtference@fairfield.edu. 

On Monday, November 16 at 7 p.m., the series concludes with “Art in the Aftermath of Violence,” a virtual book launch featuring Fairfield MFA in Creative Writing professors Carol Ann Davis and Phil Klay in conversation with Father Thomas Fitzpatrick, S.J. Presented as part of the College of Arts and Sciences Common Ground lecture series, the event will feature in-depth discussions centered around Davis’ latest publication The Nail in the Tree: Essays on Art, Violence, and Childhood, and the critically acclaimed debut novel from National Book Award-winner Phil Klay, Missionaries. 

Named “Most Anticipated of Fall 2020” by the Chicago Tribune, New York magazine, New York Post, Publishers Weekly, and more, Missionaries examines the globalization of violence through the interlocking stories of four characters and the conflicts that define their lives. Drawing on six years of research in America and Colombia into the effects of the modern way of war on regular people, Klay’s novel of extraordinary suspense is infused with geopolitical sophistication and storytelling instincts that provide a window into modern warfare and the individual lives that go on long after the drones have left the skies.

The Nail in the Tree features a series of essays that narrates Carol Ann Davis’ experience of raising two sons in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, on the day of – and during the aftermath of – the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Part memoir, part art-historical treatise, Davis’ meditations lead her to explore crucial subjects, including whether childhood can be both violent and generative, the possibility of the integration of trauma into daily life and artistic practice, and the role of the artist.

To participate in the book launch, visit www.thequicklive.com on the day of the event.