Priscilla Gilman is the author of The Anti-Romantic Child: A Memoir of Unexpected Joy (HarperCollins), a beautiful exploration of one woman's expectations and hopes for her children, her family, and herself, and of the ways in which we are all capable of reimagining our lives and finding joy in the most unexpected circumstances. A former professor of English at Yale and Vassar, with a background in the performing arts, Gilman is a captivating speaker whose warmth, dynamism, and accessibility make her highly sought-after by diverse audiences. In her wise and inspiring keynote speeches on subjects from parenting special needs children to literature as therapy, she shares the lessons she's learned from her poignant journey through crisis and disenchantment to a place of peace and resilience.
Gilman had the greatest expectations for the birth of her first child. Growing up in New York among writers and artists, she experienced childhood as a whirlwind of imagination and creative play. Later, as a student and scholar of Wordsworth, she embraced the poet's romantic view of children -- and eagerly anticipated her son's birth, certain that he, too, would come "trailing clouds of glory." But her romantic vision would not be fulfilled in the ways she dreamed. Though Benjamin was an extraordinary child, the signs of his remarkable precocity were also manifestations of a developmental disorder that would require intensive therapies and special schooling, and would dramatically alter the course Gilman had imagined for her family. In The Anti-Romantic Child, as well as in her speeches, Gilman illuminates the flourishing of life that occurs when we embrace the unexpected, and shows how events and situations often perceived as setbacks can actually enrich us.
Priscilla Gilman grew up in New York City and is a former professor of English literature at Yale University and Vassar College. She has taught poetry appreciation to inmates in a restorative justice program and to New York City public school students. The Anti-Romantic Child, her first book, was excerpted in Newsweek magazine and featured on the cover of its international edition; it was an NPR Morning Edition Must-Read, Slate's Book of the Week, and selected as one the Best Books of 2011 by the Leonard Lopate Show. Gilman writes regularly for publications including The Daily Beast, The New York Times, and The Huffington Post, speaks frequently at schools, conferences, and organizations about parenting, education, and the arts, and is a Scholar/Facilitator for the New York Council for the Humanities. She lives in New York City with her family. The Anti-Romantic Child has been nominated for a Books for a Better Life Award for Best First Book.
Praise for Priscilla Gilman's Keynote Speeches:
"Your visit to the Library was one of the best Cornwall hours ever. You took the measure of your audience and gave us exactly what we needed; your talk was perfectly pitched, clear enough to stand on its own for those to whom the subject was new, but also rich enough to provide interesting excursions for everyone. Today I've heard from three people who were present at your talk. One of them said glowing things in conversation; the other two were the men sitting next to me in the front row, whose emails follow:
'We were VERY pleased that we stayed for the talk! It was really amazing...so personal and yet so stimulating about critical issues....and she even described the things we were speaking about before she came: the narrow emphasis on "scholarly" research instead of the humanistic work with students!'
'Wonderful talk. She has such passion and eloquence it was inspiring to hear her. Would love to have been a student of hers when she was still teaching. Have started her book ahead of others on the list or next to my bed.'
'Your manner as a speaker is as winning as your message is substantial. I loved every minute of it . . . it makes me especially happy that others felt unexpected joy!'"
--Franny Taliaferro, Chairwoman of the Cornwall CT Library Events Committee
"Thank you so much for a stunning program today! Your book is truly a treasure, as are you. Everyone was enchanted by you: you were wonderfully open, articulate, engaging; and I knew that you would find just the right way to convey the emotions expressed in your memoir that was both deeply touching and joyous, filled with life and promise. Congratulations again for such an unforgettable day!"
--Helen Houghton, Library Chairman at a private women's club in New York and a director of the Academy of American Poets
"I highly recommend scheduling Priscilla at your next conference/event. She spoke at our Child Care Resource and Referral agency regarding Parent/Teacher/Provider Collaborations and she ROCKED THE HOUSE! Many were in tears. Perfect energy and perfect timing."
--Dana Doyle, Professional Development Coordinator, Child Care Council of Westchester
"I want to thank you not only for the brilliant insights you put forward tonight, but for taking the time to prepare and to really think through so many issues. The audience was totally drawn to you . . . they were fascinated by you because you were thoughtful, honest, and exciting. What a fantastic evening you gave all of us."
-- Andre Aciman, Chair of The CUNY Graduate Center's doctoral program in Comparative Literature, Founder and Director of The Writer's Institute
"Todd Drezner and Priscilla Gilman's Keynote Address at our 2011 Annual Conference was fabulous! The evaluations are 100% excellent (the highest grade) so clearly the audience agrees with my assessment."
--Asperger's Association of New England's Executive Director Dania Jekel
"Priscilla Gilman provided an enlightening and inspirational evening for a group of parents and educators at The Auburn School in Baltimore. Her story resonated powerfully and poignantly for the audience and provided our families with a connection to their own children as she enthusiastically engaged parents with personal insights about raising her very special son. When she finished, I exclaimed: 'I wish the whole city of Baltimore could have been here tonight! Everyone could learn so much from Priscilla!'"
-Marjorie Hoffman, Head of School, The Auburn School, Baltimore, Maryland
"Thank you for your unforgettable presentation at the Women's Group of the Greens Luncheon. To be able to capture the interest and attention of almost three hundred attendees is certainly a feat. Your book which deals with such sensitive issues was written so beautifully that it touched the hearts of all of us. We truly loved having you as our guest speaker!"
--Cookie Edell, coordinator of the WGG Book and Author Luncheon, Crest Hollow Country Club, Woodbury, NY
"Priscilla Gilman is the most dynamic and lively teacher I have ever encountered. Having co-taught with her for several years at Vassar College, I can attest to the fact that she is as knowledgeable as she is riveting."
-- Paul Kane, Professor of English at Vassar College
"I have rarely experienced a speaker more compassionate and electrifying than Priscilla Gilman. Priscilla's weeklong workshop on poetry was outstanding, and inspired our prisoner students to new levels of insight, sensitivity, and empathy. In making poetry from Shakespeare to Audre Lord relevant and compelling, she enhanced the prisoners' self-awareness and commitment to living more mindful lives."
-- Sunny Schwartz, Program Administrator for the San Francisco Sheriff's Department, Founder of RSVP (Resolve to Stop the Violence Project)
"I had invited Priscilla to discuss poetry with my son's 2nd grade class for poetry month. Priscilla had the kids eating out of the palm of her hand. They were mesmerized, one and all, and bursting with enthusiasm. Although they'd been discussing poetry all month, Priscilla really made the poems come alive for them. She had a magical way of making it not only accessible but animating. I could see it in their eyes -- she was teaching them how to experience the words, not just read them, and it was clicking. Priscilla was sure to engage each and every child, and in the end they crowded around her, wanting to share their thoughts and their own work. The teachers picked up a trick or two, as well, I dare say."
-- Svetlana Katz
Praise for The Anti-Romantic Child:
"Unforgettable...I couldn't put this book down."
-- Gretchen Rubin, New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project
"This is a fascinating, tender, illuminating book about an extraordinary boy and his equally extraordinary mother. A wonderful read."
-- Martha Beck, author of Expecting Adam and columnist for O: The Oprah Magazine
"Smart, soulful, and involving."
-- Nick Hornby, The Believer
"A book for all parents ... [Gilman's] poignant story of reconciling fantasy with reality is a universal story of parental growth. A story to inspire us all."
-- Ellen Galinsky, author of Mind in the Making
"Rapturously beautiful and deeply moving, profound and marvelous."
-- Andrew Solomon, author of The Noonday Demon
"A fantastic memoir . . . I loved this book."
-- KJ Dell'Antonia, lead blogger for The New York Times' Motherlode
"Every parent should read this luminous book to absorb or absorb again the truth that every child is a surprise -- a revelation -- to be uniquely learned and understood as well as loved."
-- Mary Catherine Bateson, author of Composing a Further Life: The Age of Active Wisdom
"The Anti-Romantic Child is beautiful, poetic, and heartfelt. It's more than a mother-child story; it's a journey of self-discovery. It's a book every parent should read."
-- Kathryn Erskine, bestselling author of Mockingbird and winner of the 2010 National Book Award
"Priscilla Gilman's lyrical narrative is profoundly moving and ultimately joyous. It eloquently touches the universal."
-- Harold Bloom
"What a glorious book Priscilla Gilman has written. Lively, eloquent, straightforward, and insightful, The Anti-Romantic Child deftly delineates and negotiates the complex cross-currents of a life of the mind and a life of the heart."
-- Sandra Boynton, children's book author and illustrator
"[Gilman] crafts a beautifully sinuous and intensely literary celebration of the exceptional, unconventional child."
-- Publishers Weekly, starred review