Researchers

Hanna Meretoja

The principal investigator of the project Hanna Meretoja is Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Turku and the founding director of SELMA: Centre for the Study of Storytelling, Experientiality and Memory. She has been a visiting fellow at the Exeter College in the University of Oxford and at the Oxford Centre for Life-Writing (2019-2020 and spring 2023). Her transdisciplinary approach to narrative studies brings together literary studies, social sciences, narrative psychology, and medical humanities, and she has developed the theory of narrative agency used in the project. She is also the author of the novel Elotulet (2022, The Night of Ancient Lights), dealing with issues of narrativizing cancer.

Päivi Kosonen

PhD Päivi Kosonen is Docent in Comparative Literature at the University of Helsinki, a bibliotherapist, a bibliotherapeutic educator, a literary scholar of SELMA and a senior researcher of literary studies at the University of Turku. She is an expert in diaries, autobiographical literature and writing, bibliotherapy and reading group research. In the project, she is a key contributor to the training modules and to the writing of the Manual and is responsible for the collaboration with the Finnish Association for Biblio/Poetry Therapy.

Eevastiina Kinnunen

MA Eevastiina Kinnunen is a bibliotherapy facilitator and currently finalising her PhD on reading groups and narrative wellbeing funded by The Emil Aaltonen Foundation. In addition to research, she works as a bibliotherapy facilitator and creative writing instructor. She will start her postdoctoral research in this project.

Aino Mäkikalli

Aino Mäkikalli is a Senior Lecturer in Comparative Literature, University of Turku. She is interested in questions of teaching literature and reading. She is involved in NARG to promote cooperation with schools.

Hilla Pohjalainen

MA Hilla Pohjalainen is working on a PhD in Comparative Literature at the University of Turku. Her PhD project deals with narrative agency and the potential of contemporary fiction to provide us with alternative narrative imaginations critical of the logic of capitalism. In the project, she works as a research assistant.