What do we see differently when we become the creator, rather than the consumer, of stories? This is what Vanessa Sasson, an academic in the field of Buddhist Studies, set out to do in her first novel, ‘Yasodhara and the Buddha’ (Bloomsbury 2021), telling the Buddha’s life story through the eyes and experiences of his abandoned wife. Her second novel, ‘The Gathering’ (Equinox 2023), goes further still, exploring the story of the first Buddhist women’s request for ordination. Sasson will be joining Naomi Appleton in conversation as they explore not only the ways in which Sasson’s research feeds into her creative writing, but also how creative writing might be viewed, in itself, as a form of academic practice.
Please note: while this is an in-person event, Sasson will be joining on the big screen from Canada.
Vanessa R. Sasson
Vanessa R. Sasson is Professor of Religious Studies at Marianopolis College in Quebec, and the author and editor of several academic books, most notably the collections ‘Little Buddhas: Children and Childhood in Buddhist Texts and Traditions’ (OUP, 2013) ‘Jewels, Jewelry, and Other Shiny Things in the Buddhist Imaginary’ (University of Hawaii Press, 2021), and, with Kristin Scheible, ‘The Buddha: A Storied Life’ (OUP, 2023). A few years ago, Sasson tried something new and converted her research into a novel. ‘Yasodhara and the Buddha’ (Bloomsbury, 2021) was the outcome, received with international acclaim, and followed a few years later by ‘The Gathering: A Story of the First Buddhist Women’ (Equinox, 2023). She is currently working on her third novel.
Chair: Naomi Appleton
Naomi Appleton is Professor of Buddhist Studies and Indian Religions at the University of Edinburgh, and Co-Director of the Edinburgh Centre for Buddhist Studies. She works primarily on Buddhist narrative literature from ancient India, especially stories about the Buddha and his past lives, and is the author of several academic books. She has never attempted creative writing, but is an enthusiastic consumer of novels, and was once reduced to tears at an academic conference by a reading from the opening of ‘Yasodhara and the Buddha’. She is fascinated by questions around the role of stories and literature in both religious and scholarly practice.
Venue information
In line with fire safety regulations attendees using a wheelchair must be able to self-transfer to an evac chair in order to safely evacuate the building.
This venue is fully accessible however, if you require disabled access, please email divinity.news@ed.ac.uk so that we can ensure we accommodate this.
Admission
This is a free event, which means we overbook to allow for no-shows and to avoid empty seats. While we generally do not have to turn people away, this does mean we cannot guarantee everyone a place. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.
