Book launch series kicks off with spiritual journey to Lily Dale

In their new book “Spiritualism’s Place: Reformers, Seekers, and Séances in Lily Dale,” four co-authors — all friends, scholars and UB alumni — share their curiosity and enthusiasm for uncovering stories from the past as they explore the history of the world’s largest center for spiritualism in Lily Dale, N.Y. 

The co-authors will discuss their book on Oct. 18 at the UB Gender Institute’s book launch series, “New Books, New Feminist Directions,” taking place from 4-5:30 p.m. at Fitz Books & Waffles, 433 Ellicott St., Buffalo.

In “Spiritualism’s Place,” the four co-authors — all of whom earned their PhDs from the UB Department of History and are collective producers of the acclaimed podcast “Dig: A History Podcast” — examine the intimate history of Lily Dale as the home for spiritualists attempting to make contact with the dead, as well as a gathering place for reformers, a refuge for seekers looking for alternatives to established paths of knowledge and a target for skeptics.

“We were drawn to Lily Dale because of our fascination with the history of Western New York, which is just a hotbed for religious and social experimentation in the 19th century,” says co-author Sarah Handley-Cousins, UB assistant teaching professor of history, author of “Bodies in Blue: Disability in the Civil War North (University of Georgia Press, 2019) and co-editor of “The Nursing Clio Reader” (forthcoming from Rutgers University Press).

“People were asking questions about the afterlife, thinking about the state of their souls and reconsidering their roles in society. Lily Dale was born out of that moment of revival and reform and excitement, but while that fervor dies down over time, Lily Dale lasts and continues to draw hundreds of visitors every summer,” Handley-Cousins explains. “We wanted to know what made this little community persist for as long as it has.”

For the Oct. 18 book launch event, the four co-authors — Handley-Cousins, Averill Earls, Elizabeth Garner Masarik and Marissa Rhodes — will discuss the significance of their work with Victoria Wolcott, professor of history and director of the Gender Institute.

“Their book offers a fascinating deep dive into the political and cultural impact of Lily Dale, an intentional spiritualist community that helped shape social reform movements in New York and nationally,” Wolcott says. “Audiences can expect a lively conversation and a celebration of their work.”

Those wishing to attend should register online.

The Gender Institute established the “New Books, New Feminist Directions” book launch series in fall 2021 as a way for faculty to share and discuss their recent monographs with the Gender Institute community, as well as with the wider virtual community.

“These events introduce cutting-edge feminist scholarship to our community and foster a dialogue across disciplines,” Wolcott says.

The events include a guest commentator who discusses the significance of the book and its relevance for the field.

The next book launch, “Transforming School Food Politics around the World,” will take place at 4 p.m. Nov. 20 in the Screening Room in the Center for the Arts and via Zoom; it features co-editor Sarah Robert, associate professor in the Graduate School of Education.