Jennifer Egan - Reading Deeply

We met with one of the foremost novelists of our time and Pulitzer Prize winner, Jennifer Egan, to discuss the medium of fiction, the novel, her process, her works and the role of the novelist in democracy writ large. In an age where AI has begun to encroach on seemingly sacrosanct domains of human endeavor like creative writing, Egan gives us hope that writing from human imagination will forever give us unrivaled access to the mind of another person. In what became a masterclass in Egan's personal writing style, she illuminated how her own improvisation allows her to channel all the forces that exist around her and operate through her. The novel demands that we resist the forces of distraction that dilute us. Fiction delivers compressed knowledge, and preserves our mental agility and our ability to question authority. It is not only entertaining, it is a pillar of a healthy democracy. In her leadership of PEN America, she saw first hand how threatening fiction and the novel can be to autocratic regimes. While indifferent to literary reviews, Egan adores her readers and all they teach her. Most captivating are Egan's methods of tapping into her unconscious and her imagination - the wellspring of her career. Find renewed determination to read deeply by listening deeply to our charming guest, Jennifer Egan. Join us.