New essays, an online event, and more
Hallo folks, and welcome, new subscribers!
A news-heavy memo today while Halloween deadlines and updates flow thick and fast:
New essays out in the world!
THRILLED that the two essays that have been exploding my brain this fall are out in the world. Read them for free:
“This Disturbing 16th-Century Painting of Hell Linked Satan and His Demons With the New World Beyond Europe,“ Smithsonian magazine, October 27, 2025.
“Monstrification: For years we’ve used the declaration of ‘monster’ to eject individuals and groups from being respected as fully human,” Aeon, October 24, 2025.
Podcast
Fellow historian of science Natalie Lawrence (author of ENCHANTED CREATURES) and I were interviewed by Kensy Cooperrider for the Many Minds podcast.
We talks about Grendel and his mother in Beowulf, monsters in the age of exploration, monsters and the mind (big scary feelings, especially in the minds of children), a human-animal hybrid and shaman in prehistoric cave art, take listeners through a Parliament of Monsters, and more.
Webinar: Pitching a Nonfiction Book for General Readers
Thursday Nov 6, 12pm (EST) / 5pm UK (online and recorded)
Prof. Catherine Fletcher (ROADS TO ROME: A History, THE BEAUTY AND THE TERROR, and other books) and I will be offering a one-hour Zoom webinar as part of the Renaissance Society of America’s Professional Development Webinar series. The event is available free of charge to RSA members. Event info and registration is here.
HUMANS: the paperback out on March 3rd!
And the paperback of HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY will be out on March 3rd and is available for preorder! In the meantime, the hardback and ebook, from the University of California Press, are available, and the ebook from Tantor Media, so there’s no need to wait half a year for your monster present-to-self or for the nerds in your life.
Use the code UCPSAVE30 to get 30% off UCP books when ordering directly from the press or their UK/Europe distributor, Wiley. This code works for almost all UCP books so long as they are already published or within 6 weeks or pub date.
More buying links and instructions on using the discount code from wherever you are in the world are here. (Books ship from either the US or the UK, with whatever annoyances that may entail.)
Folks with US mailing addresses can enter the code UCPSAVE30 here and get 30% off most University of California Press books.
More Halloween stuff is in the pipeline, so watch this space!
You can also find me on www.surekhadavies.org,
BlueSky (@drsurekhadavies.bsky.social),
Instagram/Threads (@surekhadavies),
and LinkedIn (@surekhadavies-53711753/)