She Doesn't Fit the Hero’s Journey: Writing Historical Fiction about Real People
Jean Gordon Kocienda ‘87, former intelligence officer and Silicon Valley geopolitical analyst

How does one make an esoteric or academic topic accessible to general readers?  Consider fictionalizing it.  Jean Gordon Kocienda’s historical novel Girl in a Box (2026, Sibylline Press) is based on the life of Japanese poet Yosano Akiko (1878 – 1942).  Kocienda stays true to the facts of this poet’s tangled life (mother of 13, feminist, and first person to translate the entirety of Tale of Genji into modern Japanese) while making the novel enjoyable to read. 

In this talk, Kocienda introduces a major modern Japanese poet and offers ideas for sharing specialized knowledge with wider audiences.  

Co-sponsored by Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures; Department of English and Creative Writing; Asian Studies Program; and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program

This event is part of the Division of Arts & Humanities Fall 2026 Colloquium Series.

Refreshments provided.

All are welcome.