TLRH | Hublic Sphere | Childhood Books: The Power(s) of Rereading

Recorded December 3, 2020. In this episode, Siobhán
Callaghan(School of English) speaks to Dr Alison Waller about the
powerful act of rereading books from childhood. Alison is the
author of Rereading Childhood Books: A Poetics (2019), in which she
explores what it means to return to texts from our childhood and
develops a new model for understanding lifelong reading. For many
of us, the events of the past year have challenged how we perceive
the passage of time. In our discussion, Siobhán and Alison explore
how and why we return to the same texts throughout our lifespans.
Alison discusses what first kindled her interest in rereading and
how readers make memories of texts and shares the methodology that
she used to undertake this work. They discuss the powerful emotions
that can arise during the rereading experience, and Alison explains
the particular “rereading attitudes” that she uncovered over the
course of her research. Alison has also applied her expertise on
rereading in a co-creative project, working with Gemma Seltzer and
Wallis Eates on “Lifelong Reading: New Stories”, an initiative that
invited older adults living with dementia to explore their
childhood reading. To find out more, visit: bit.ly/hublicsphere
Learn more at: https://www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub/