Presented by: Miranda McLeod
In a time when global challenges like climate change, political division, and conflict seem insurmountable, Miranda McLeod reveals how literary fiction holds a surprising key to our survival: empathy. Drawing from neuroscience research on the brain’s mentalizing system and compelling real-world examples, she demonstrates how reading fiction does more than entertain – it literally rewires our capacity for understanding others’ perspectives and emotions. With eighty percent of American adults missing out on this powerful tool for social connection, McLeod presents an engaging roadmap for how even reluctant readers can harness the transformative power of literary fiction to build bridges across divides and tackle humanity’s greatest challenges. Miranda McLeod is a writer and English professor at Gonzaga University. With a BA in sociology, an MFA in fiction writing, and a PhD in contemporary ethnic American literature, she has been consumed with the human need to tell stories all her professional life. She has taught writing and literature to college students for eighteen years, but it was her experience leading free public creative writing workshops in New York City’s Bryant Park that revealed to her how transformative encounters with literature can be outside the confines of academia.
Miranda’s short fiction has appeared in the Sunday Times of London, Willow Springs, Epiphany, and elsewhere. Her current book project, Traitor, is about her experiences as a Black feminist scholar befriending NYPD officers during the Black Lives Matter protests of 2014. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
