Conversation With Books centers intersectionality and women’s agency in romance -

Two women sit in armchairs talking. The woman on the left has short brown hair, glasses, a black blazer over a gray shirt, and turquoise pants. The woman on the right has medium-length brown hair, a floral cardigan over a black shirt, and olive green pants. Between them is a vase of flowers and a podium.

Hosts Taylor Harwood '15 (left) and Lydia Butler Fasteland '12, MLIS'17 (right)

On June 7, alumni gathered for Conversation With Books, continuing the annual St. Catherine University tradition that started six decades ago. Event attendees could join in person or online via a livestream. Held during Reunion weekend, hosts and fellow alumnae Lydia Butler Fasteland ’12, MLIS’17 and Taylor Harwood ’15 led a discussion of through an intersectional feminist lens.

In their presentation, Fasteland and Harwood took audience members through an overview of romance as a genre. They provided examples of the different tropes and themes that featured in the five novels selected for the event, particularly women’s pursuit of goals specific to their characters and backgrounds.

The hosts shared their personal ratings, as romance genre connoisseurs, of each of the books, but also emphasized the influence of a reader’s background in how they experience literature. For that reason, seeing personal experiences reflected in novels, including romance, can have a powerful impact on readers.

Special guest President Marcheta P. Evans, PhD, underscored representation in novels as a way for readers to emotionally connect with and feel understood by the books they read. She relayed her connection to Beverly Jenkins’ historical romance Forbidden through lived experiences with colorism as an African American woman. Her and her family members’ experiences allowed her to connect to one character’s dilemma between the benefits of being “white passing,” such as power and influence, and his desire to be part of a supportive African American community.

“Being a counselor, that [representation] was important to me,” said Evans. “When you’re reading these books, and you find that thing, that thread — it really connects based on your experiences.”

Five books stacked on top of each other. Top to bottom: Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins, Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper, An Island Princess Starts A Scandal by Adriana Herrera, The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, and Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev.

Conversation With Books: Romance featured a variety of selections from the genre, from magical fantasy to historical fiction.

A woman holding a stack of books examines a book on display.

Books discussed in the event were available for purchase.

A woman with blonde hair and a green and white floral dress speaks into a microphone.

Lindsay Butterfield Whipple '09, director of alumni relations, introduced the event.

Left to right: A woman with short brown hair, glasses, and a black blazer over a gray shirt smiles at a woman with medium-length brown hair and a floral cardigan over a black shirt, who is speaking.

Hosts Taylor Harwood '15 (left) and Lydia Butler Fasteland '12, MLIS'17 (right) led an insightful discussion about the selected books and romance as a genre.

A group of women sitting at tables with purple cloth.

The event was held during Reunion weekend, but was open to alumni of all class years.

Left to right: a woman with short brown hair, glasses, and a gray shirt standing next to a woman with medium-length brown hair and a floral cardigan over a black shirt. Both women are smiling.

Harwood and Fasteland

Fasteland and Harwood also emphasized the role of romance in feminism. Although the genre has been and continues to be dismissed next to “more serious” works of fiction, romance is the only genre that consistently centers women and their internal lives. In romance novels, especially those discussed by the hosts, women’s agency and their wants are paramount.

“The plot is secondary to the character’s wants, dreams, emotions. By the end, you’re looking for an emotional resolution to the book versus a plot resolution,” said Fasteland.

“What I find really interesting is what ‘happily ever after’ looks like, what how that looks like can tell us about our society and culture, and what we the readers might want out of our lives,” added Harwood. In all of the books discussed, the main characters find love. “But they also find fulfilling work or achieving a dream, they all find some kind of internal peace. Stella [in The Kiss Quotient] no longer feels like she has to be ‘normal,’ Eddy [in Forbidden] has a community beyond the person that she loves… When the book closes, we can feel confident that they’re still going to be able to work things out, live their lives, and be happy.”

Join us on October 5

In January, Conversation With Books kickstarted the year with a panel discussion about books spanning across different genres. There will be another event centered around speculative fiction and BIPOC authors on October 5, hosted by Suzanne Lehman ’93, MSN’11, DNP’18, director of the baccalaureate nursing program in the College for Women. Attendees can join this hybrid in person or online. More details about the October Conversation With Books event and booklist will be announced later.

Conversation With Books

Photos by Rebecca Zenefski Slater ’10

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Join us on October 5