51社区

An Interview with Joanna Gardner, Ph.d.

Joanna Gardner is an alumni of and adjunct professor at 51社区, in the Mythological Studies specialization. She is also the co-founder of the which will be held July 28-30, 2023, in Carpinteria, CA

Angela: You are the lead author on for the Joseph Campbell Foundation鈥檚 series of study guides for books by Joseph Campbell. I don鈥檛 hear Campbell鈥檚 name as often as I hear Jung鈥檚 or Hillman鈥檚 names at Pacifica, but for a while, specifically in the 80s, Campbell was everywhere in popular culture. How do you conceptualize Campbell鈥檚 work within psychology?

Joanna: Campbell was not a depth psychologist, and Pacifica focuses on that area. But Campbell was integral to the founding of the myth program and the whole idea of mythological studies. During his decades of teaching, reading, and writing about myth, he created an oeuvre that still inspires people today. I do believe it鈥檚 important to read him with discernment, the same way I read any scholar or writer: trying to stay aware of the time period they were writing in and their personal positionality, and to keep my mind and heart open for the spirit of what they鈥檙e saying. It鈥檚 the same way I read myths.

Campbell is famous for his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, published in 1949, which inspired many people in many fields. Over the years, other writers have brought their points of view to bear on that work. There鈥檚 Clyde Ford鈥檚 The Hero with an African Face: Mythic Wisdom of Traditional Africa, and Jody Bower鈥檚 Jane Eyre鈥檚 Sisters: How Women Live and Write the Heroine鈥檚 Story, among many others. Ford and Bower are carrying Campbell鈥檚 work forward, and that鈥檚 exactly what I hope the Foundation鈥檚 new study guides help more people do.

Angela: Aside from your nonfiction and scholarly work, you are also a poet and a writer of short stories. How does your work with myth intersect with your own creative art?

Joanna: I think of myself as a mythological writer. My background in creative writing is part of the reason I did my dissertation on creation myth and the creative process. In doing that work, I learned to imagine into myths the same way I imagine into a story or poem to write it. And inevitably I use the techniques of fiction when I write about myth. Both those worlds are inextricably intertwined for me, and I wouldn鈥檛 have it any other way.

Angela: Perhaps most notable of your endeavors is being the co-founder of the , 鈥渁 yearly conferences for mythologists and friends of myth.鈥� What inspired this conference and what kind of panels or activities are part of it?

Joanna: We wanted to continue the conversation around myth. I was finishing my dissertation, and so was my friend and Mythologium partner, . I was thinking, I need to keep having these conversations. And I felt like there was room in the field of mythology to create a gathering that focused on myth and the community of mythologists. Then, as the idea developed, we started wanting to create the conference in a mythological way. In retrospect, we were re-imagining the archetype of the academic conference, to bring depth to the experience. So, for example, instead of Q&A sessions at the end of panels, we have 鈥淵es-And鈥� discussions, in the tradition of improv theater, where you have to say yes to what came before, to carry the action forward. We say, 鈥淵es, that idea exists, and so does this other idea, and look, so does its opposite!鈥� Then we trust the community to choose the ideas that are most beautiful and useful for them to take away and build on. Our vision is to share ideas, inspire each other, and amplify each other鈥檚 work.

We also have a poet-of-the-year for each event. Rumi, Rainer Maria Rilke, Langston Hughes, and Linda Gregg have all joined the Mythologium through their poetry. Every day at some point during the program, we read a poem by that year鈥檚 poet, then we have a writing reflection. That way we can absorb the ideas we鈥檙e hearing, instead of just racing off to the next panel. And we try to foster conversation, even on Zoom. We want people to connect. It鈥檚 really a special container for the community to have a shared experience.

Angela: This is the 5^th anniversary of the conference, this year with the theme 鈥淢yth and the Heart,鈥� and will be held July 28-30^th. What inspired the theme of myth and heart? It occurs to me that although depth psychology fields the human psyche well, I don鈥檛 often hear the heart invoked in research.

Joanna: In 2021, the theme was myth and healing, and in 2022 it was myth and ecological consciousness. This year, Stephanie and I had the sense that maybe it鈥檚 time to think about thriving, and revivifying, and taking up residence in heart space, where the love of life happens, the love of work, the love of community鈥攔e-centering in that felt sense of deep affection.

We鈥檙e going to be on the Pacifica campus at Lambert. The main center of the conference will be in South Hall, where we鈥檒l stream on Zoom. Presenters are pre-recording 20-minute videos, which will go into a video library that we鈥檙e calling MythFlix, then live panels at the Mythologium will have a 5-minute overview of each presentation and 20 minutes for the Yes-And discussion. We want the focus to be on connection and celebration. We鈥檒l have long lunches, a photographer to take headshots for people, and marketing office hours for anyone who wants to brainstorm their own marketing efforts. The Campbell Foundation and 51社区 Alumni Association will be there, and we鈥檒l have other surprises as well.

You should join us! The Mythologium is all about cultivating the community of mythologists. If you鈥檙e interested in myth, you belong there.

Angela: You continue to participate in the scholarly discourse at Pacifica as an adjunct professor in the Mythological Studies Program. What courses do you teach and what do you most value or enjoy about teaching students at Pacifica? Did you obtain your degree in the same program, and if so, what was that experience like for you?

Joanna: I completed my Ph.D. in the myth program in 2019, and it was transformative. I remember people asking me what I was going to do with a myth degree. I didn鈥檛 have an answer at the time, but I had an intuitive sense that this was the work I needed to do. The myth program gave me the chance to learn what I needed in order to do what came next in my life, which is everything I鈥檓 doing now. The thing I love most about the program is how it holds space for both academic and creative work.

I鈥檓 currently teaching research strategies and dissertation formulation at Pacifica. Both classes are for third-year students before they embark on their dissertations. It combines my research into the creative process with my mythological writing. In research strategies, we talk about how to undertake this big project and get it done, how to work with theories and theorists. Then in dissertation formulation, we workshop the concept papers that will ultimately become the first chapter of all these amazing new dissertations. There鈥檚 this sense that the students鈥� projects are full of possibility, and the students will have an amazing adventure bringing the projects into the world, and that adventure will set them up for whatever comes next. Pacifica is a unique environment in part because everyone is passionate about being there. Nobody鈥檚 parents made them enroll. That makes the work a joy.

Angela: Do you have any upcoming publications or research projects to share with us? What is next for you?

Joanna: I have a MythBlast essay coming out with the Campbell foundation in July. You can subscribe to receive MythBlast emails at . I鈥檓 also the series editor of the , and there are more of those books forthcoming over the summer. And Stephanie and I will be leading a live, 1-day workshop the day before the Mythologium called .

Angela: Thank you so much for speaking with me, and best of luck with all of your work.

Joanna: Thank you, Angela!

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