Karen Frances McCarthy is an Irish author, scholar, and Spiritualist medium. She is also a former war correspondent. She holds a master’s degree in Anglo-Irish literature and a PhD in English literature from the University of Birmingham, and teaches at New York University’s School of Professional Studies. She has previously been interviewed on NTA about her book, Till Death Don’t Us Part. Her forthcoming book, Still Here, is scheduled for publication by White Crow Books in 2027. We are focusing on her doctoral dissertation, now published as a book, The Re-Enchanted Ghost in Contemporary American Fiction.

Karen discusses her doctoral research and book The Re-Enchanted Ghost, examining a shift in contemporary American fiction where ghosts become protagonists with agency rather than traditional antagonists or avengers. She explores how these novels create imaginative liminal afterlife spaces free of conventional theology, reflecting post-secular spirituality and the search for meaning amid the failures of organized religion and materialism. Drawing on her dual perspective as a scholar and spiritualist medium, McCarthy connects these literary developments to broader cultural movements, near-death experiences, and the need for ambiguity and education around consciousness and mediumship.

00:00:00 Introduction

00:04:00 Contemporary American ghost fiction

00:09:00 Liminal afterlife spaces

00:12:00 Approaching ghosts as real

00:17:00 Post-secular spirituality

00:25:00 Spiritualism and mediumship

00:32:00 Near-death experiences influence

00:39:00 Importance of ambiguity

00:45:00 Novels as sacred texts

00:49:00 Conclusion

(Recorded on Friday, October 16, 2026)

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Published on November 6, 2026