Publishing the Paranormal
Why do academic authors sometimes dare to study the so-called “paranormal”, like ghosts, spiritual phenomena and UFOs, in spite of opposition from the scientific establishment? The main reason is that they often have their own experiences, like most people, and they want to understand them. In fact, “the paranormal is normal.” Charles and Penelope Emmons discuss their own adventures in publishing the paranormal in academic and other contexts and those of other researchers as well, with examples of popular treatments and the gradual mainstreaming of these subjects.
Bio
Charles Emmons is an Emeritus Professor retired from the Gettysburg College Sociology Department. His research has been mainly in the areas of the sociology of science, religion, and the paranormal. Publications include Chinese Ghosts Revisited (2017), At the Threshold: UFOs, Science and the New Age (1997), and “Methodologies for the Mysterious” (in A Greater Reality, Vol. 2, ed. Hernandez, 2022). He is a member of the Society for Scientific Exploration.
Penelope Emmons has a Master’s in Social Work and offers counseling. She is an ordained Spiritualist minister, and does spirit mediumship. She has also been a public and Montessori school educator, and an interior and architectural designer. Together with her husband Charles she is author of Guided by Spirit: A Journey into the Mind of the Medium (2003), and Science and Spirit (2012).
Curated and Hosted by
Shannon Taggart is an artist and author exploring the intersection between Spiritualism, photography, and the representation of belief. Her work has been exhibited and featured internationally, including within the publications TIME, New York Times Magazine, Discover, and Newsweek. Taggart’s monograph, SÉANCE (Fulgur Press, 2019), was named one of TIME’s ‘Best Photobooks of 2019.’ https://www.shannontaggart.com/
don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day
Shannon Taggart’s Supernatural Mystery Symposium
Selections from the annual event on supernatural mystery and strange cultural history, curated by Shannon Taggart and hosted in Lily Dale, NY, USA—the town home to the world’s largest Spiritualist community.
Dr. Raymond Buckland’s ‘Wide World of Spirit – Steven Intermill and Toni Rotonda – 25 September
Séance: Spiritualism, Photography and the Search for Ectoplasm – Shannon Taggart – 2 October
Publishing the Paranormal – Charles and Penelope Emmons – 04 October
Supernatural Mystery Symposium: Art & The Paranormal – JF Martel – 05 October
Music from Elsewhere – Doug Skinner – 22 October
The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle – Michael W Homer – 07 November
Ted Serios: The Mind’s Eye, with Emily Hauver – 21 November
