Debut Novel by Former SDSU Professor Explores Paths of Two Women Separated by Centuries

History guided Kathleen B. Jones, the former head of the Women’s Studies department at San Diego State University, as she wrote her debut novel, to be released Tuesday.

Cities of Women (Keylight Books) delves into the lives of two women, who, though separated by centuries, dare to challenge social norms, risking their reputations and livelihoods to pursue their passions.

Jones’ inspiration came from Book of the City of Ladies by 15th-century writer Christine de Pizan, whose works she had previously taught in her courses. In particular, she was captured by one line de Pizan wrote about a skilled female artist named Anastasia – “no one in all of Paris can surpass her.” 

And a story was born, which Jones dedicates to “all the women artists who’ve been made invisible.”

“No one has ever discovered anything about Anastasia, not even whether she was a real person, or only an imaginary figure Christine invented to counter the idea that all the best painters were men,” the professor emerita said in a SDSU news release.

“I wondered what it would be like for a modern woman, a professor, to become intrigued by the idea of ‘setting the record straight’ about who actually painted the images in Christine’s manuscripts. What would motivate that woman? Would she be willing to risk her career by acting on nothing more than a hunch?”

Jones, who now resides in Connecticut, is set to join Kathi Diamant, director of the Kafka Project at San Diego State, for a live reading and audience Q&A.

It will take place at the Pan’s Garden event space in Sherman Heights, 506 21st St. at 5 p.m. Sept. 12.

Copies of the book will be available at the event.

Born and educated in New York City, Jones taught feminist theory for 24 years at SDSU. Besides scholarly books, she wrote two memoirs, Living Between Danger and Love (Rutgers University Press, 2000) and the award-winning Diving for Pearls: A Thinking Journey with Hannah Arendt (Thinking Women Books, 2015).

Her essays and short fiction have appeared in Fiction International, Mr. Beller’s Neighborhood, The Briar Cliff Review, Humanities Magazine and The Los Angeles Review of Books.

She has received multiple grants from the National Endowment of the Humanities, writers’ grants to the Vermont Studio Center, an honorary doctorate from Örebro University in Sweden and a distinguished alumni award from the CUNY Graduate Center.