Colin Dickey (born September 3, 1977) is an American author, curator, and critic whose work deals with ghosts, death, and haunting, and explores how these symbols function as metaphors. He was the Managing Director of the Morbid Anatomy Museum and is a member of

The Order of the Good Death The Order of the Good Death is a death acceptance organization founded in 2011 by mortician and author Caitlin Doughty. The group advocates for natural burial and embracing human mortality. Along with Doughty, members include Sarah Chavez, Direct ...

. He currently teaches at

National University (California) National University (NU) is a private university with its headquarters in San Diego, California. Founded in 1971, National University offers academic degree programs at campuses throughout California, a satellite campus in Nevada, and various pro ...

Books

*''The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession With the Unexplained'' *''Ghostland'' (2016), an exploration of America's haunted mansions. ** Tiya Miles, writing in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', calls Ghostland "a capacious geographical synthesis that is both intellectually intriguing and politically instructive." **

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

named Ghostland one of the best books of 2016 ** Dickey appeared on ''

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

'', where he spoke about the

Winchester Mystery House The Winchester Mystery House is a mansion in San Jose, California, that was once the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, the widow of firearms magnate William Wirt Winchester. The house became a tourist attraction nine months after Winc ...

*''The Morbid Anatomy Anthology'' (co-edited with Joanna Ebenstein), a collection of works by "scholars, artists and writers working along the intersections of the history of anatomy and medicine, death and the macabre, religion and spectacle." *''Afterlives of the Saints: Stories from the Ends of Faith'' *''Cranioklepty: Grave Robbing and the Search for Genius'', stories of notable grave robberies, including

Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions to musical form have led ...

and

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

*''Failure! Experiments in Aesthetic and Social Practices'' (edited with Nicole Antebi and Robby Herbst)

References in popular culture

* A quote from Ghostland appears in Robert Greene's upcoming film ''Bisbee '17''. * Musician Dave Heumann cites Dickey as one of his literary influences.

Education

Dickey has an MFA in Critical Studies from

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

, and a PhD in Comparative Literature from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickey, Colin 1977 births Living people American writers California Institute of the Arts alumni University of Southern California alumni