Sasha Sagan: For Small Creatures Such As We
As we approach the first season change of the year, we are finding ourselves inclined to revisit this conversation centered on time and ritual featuring author Sasha Sagan and CIIS Interdisciplinary Arts professor Carolyn Cooke.
Sasha Sagan was raised by secular parents, the astronomer Carl Sagan and the writer and producer Ann Druyan. They taught her that the natural world and vast cosmos are full of profound beauty, that science reveals truths more wondrous than any myth or fable.
When Sasha herself became a mother, she began her own hunt for the natural phenomena behind our most treasured occasions—from births to deaths, holidays to weddings, anniversaries, and more—growing these roots into a new set of rituals for her young daughter that honor the joy and significance of each experience without relying on religious frameworks.
Sasha’s first book, For Small Creatures Such As We, is part memoir, part guidebook, and part social history—a luminous exploration of Earth’s marvels that require no faith in order to be believed.
This episode was recorded during a live online event on October 10th, 2019. You can also watch it on the CIIS Public Programs YouTube channel.
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