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Local Author Book Talk

Janet Rich Edwards

Join local author Janet Rich Edwards as she discusses her novel, Canticle.

Set in thirteenth-century Bruges, this debut novel follows a young woman’s explorations of faith, agency, and love among a community of fiercely independent women.

Aleys is sixteen years old and serious, stubborn, prone to religious visions. She and her only friend, a young scholar, have been learning Latin together in secret—but just as she thinks their connection might become something more, he abandons her for the monastery. When her family falls on hard financial times, her father promises her in marriage to the unctuous head of the weavers’ guild, and in desperation she runs away from home, eventually finding shelter within a community of religious women who do not answer to the church.

Among the hardworking and strong-willed Beguines, Aleys glimpses for the first time the joys of a life of song, friendship, and time spent in the markets and along the canals of Bruges. But forces both mystical and political are afoot. Illegal translations of scripture, the women’s independence, and a sudden rash of miracles all draw the attention of an ambitious bishop—and bring Aleys and those around her into ever-increasing danger, a danger that will push Aleys to a new understanding of love and sacrifice. -Publisher

For adults. Registration required. Contact Ari at apappas@minlib.net with any questions.

About Janet:

Janet is a graduate of GrubStreet’s selective Novel Incubator program. A professor of epidemiology at Harvard Medical School, Janet has written more than 300 papers for scientific journals. Several years ago, she began wondering whether she could convey more truth, or different truths, through fiction. She started Canticle while a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, where she enjoyed the company of Lauren Groff, Kaitlyn Greenidge, and Min Jin Lee. Matrix and Canticle were inspired by the same fellow’s lecture on literacy among medieval nuns. When she’s not sneaking hours to write fiction, Janet is trying her hardest to write fact, as a professor of epidemiology at Harvard Medical School and researcher in the Division of Women’s Health at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

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