Presenter: Laura J. Snyder, St. John's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

As scholars we face a dilemma: our research is specialized and technical, yet the results are important and worth sharing with the general public.  How can we bridge the gap between scholarship and popular work?  One way to introduce a broader audience to the results of scholarly research is through biographies of the scientists, writers, political figures, artists, and others we study.   In the workshop we will consider the challenges, rewards and common pitfalls of bringing thinkers and scientists to life in creative nonfiction.

Laura J. Snyder (Philosophy Department) is the author of three books, including two group biographies: Eye of the Beholder: Johannes Vermeer, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek and the Reinvention of Seeing (W.W. Norton, 2015) and The Philosophical Breakfast Club: Four Remarkable Friends who Transformed Science and Changed the World (Broadway Books, 2011).  Eye of the Beholder was named a Best Art Book of the Year by Christie’s and a Best Read of the Year by New Scientist.  The Philosophical Breakfast Club was a Scientific American Notable Book, winner of the 2011 Royal Institute of Australia poll for Best Science Book, and an Official Selection of the TED Book Club.