Podcast Summary:

New Books Network – Sharon Sliwinski, "An Alphabet for Dreamers: How to See the World with Eyes Closed" (MIT Press, 2025)
Date: December 18, 2025
Host: Dr. Miranda Melcher
Guest: Dr. Sharon Sliwinski

Episode Overview

This episode features an engaging conversation between host Dr. Miranda Melcher and Dr. Sharon Sliwinski, discussing her latest book, An Alphabet for Dreamers: How to See the World with Eyes Closed (MIT Press, 2025). The dialogue explores why dreams matter, how they serve individuals and societies as sources of knowledge, and the innovative structure of the book—which is organized as an alphabet primer. The episode touches on the pedagogical, social, and healing roles of dreams, weaving in insights from contemporary projects like the COVID Dream Project and historical perspectives from various cultures.

Key Discussion Points

1. Dr. Sharon Sliwinski’s Background and Motivation for the Book

[03:18]

• Professor at Western University, Canada, working in Information and Media Studies.
• Previous work focused on visual images and human rights.
• Shifted attention to dreams as underappreciated “images”—once valued as sources of knowledge for both individuals and societies.
• Noted that modern Western culture has largely lost the communal and epistemological significance of dreams.
  • “We’ve really lost the sense that dreams are an important source of knowledge and in particular for the social good.” – Dr. Sliwinski [04:22]

2. Why Dreams Matter: Curiosity and Knowledge

[05:07]

• Dreams continue personal and political struggles during sleep.
• The act of asking “What does a dream mean?” is an exercise in curiosity and openness.
• Dreams create a pedagogical space—a “teacher”—for cultivating curiosity and diminishing defensiveness.
  • “Curiosity is a really rare kind of state of mind... dreams naturally put us in that state of mind.” – Dr. Sliwinski [06:18]
• Dreams as images we must translate into words, sparking meaning-making.

3. Structure of the Book: The Alphabet as Method and Metaphor

[07:52]

• Inspired by children’s alphabet books: approachable, playful, non-intimidating.
  • "It’s just an Alphabet book. And there’s also a bit of pedagogy there about the relationship between words and images.” – Dr. Sliwinski [08:30]
• The structure models curiosity, encourages engagement, and offers a bridge between image (dream) and language (storytelling).
• Alphabet organization helps readers “lower their defenses” and invites both children and adults to discover dreams anew.

4. The COVID Dream Project and Community Conversations

[10:30]

• Collaboration with the Museum of London (now London Museum) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Collected dreams as contemporary ephemera; unexpectedly high participation and intimacy in dream-sharing.
  • “It became a kind of model for how we could talk to each other without fighting over our position about a topic.” – Dr. Sliwinski [12:18]
• Dreams used by participants as organic “sense making” tools during a time of societal upheaval.

5. Dreams as Tools for Sense-Making and Social Connection

[13:37]

• Book aims to inspire curiosity about one’s own dreams and those of others—“even strangers.”
• Example: A mother improved her relationship with her child during gender transition by starting morning conversations about dreams, which created space for communication and healing.
  • “She said it transformed her life ... There was a sense of just peace that came over the household because now there was some direction.” – Dr. Sliwinski [15:21]

6. Writing Process and the A-to-Z Structure

[18:00]

• Writing was non-linear—Dr. Sliwinski gathered key dreams from history and research, then retrofitted them into the alphabet structure.
• Some chapters align closely with the subject (e.g., D is for Defense/Nelson Mandela), while others required creative linkage (e.g., O is for Otoscope/Dr. Rao’s dream, H is for Homework/Madagascan independence).
  • “You listen for the words that people use about their dream life … it took a while, but they all kind of fell into place.” – Dr. Sliwinski [19:21]
• Handling tricky letters—X became X is for Xanax.

7. Playfulness and Pedagogy in Dream Study

[22:23]

• Opening chapter: A is for Attention (not Attunement)—focuses on attention’s deeper philosophical and psychological meaning, distinct from digital-era commercialization of attention.
• The book balances “big questions” and playful accessibility to make learning about dreams easier and enjoyable.
  • “It’s so much easier to learn a thing when it’s fun rather than didactic.” – Dr. Sliwinski [23:20]

8. Dreams as Healing and Medicine

[24:04]

• Indigenous traditions and new neuroscience support the idea of “dreams as medicine.”
• Dreaming activates emotional and reward centers in the brain, similar to medications like Xanax, but operates holistically.
  • “They treat you as a whole person ... We would wish of Western medicine, of a holistic approach to treatment.” – Dr. Sliwinski [25:13]
• Ongoing research at Toronto safe injection sites explores dreams as part of community health.

9. Practical Takeaways and Daily Practice

[26:15]

• Encourages listeners to approach their own and others’ dreams with curiosity and openness.
• Dream-sharing deepens relationships, promotes vibrancy, and serves as both self-help and political practice.
  • “Being attuned to another’s life world is for me, a way of coming alive to life.” – Dr. Sliwinski [26:50]

10. Ongoing and Future Research

[27:52]

• “Museum of Dreams” project continues: community collaborations gathering contemporary dream testimonies from Geneva, Toronto, and London.
• Project illustrates how dreams offer alternative perspectives on political and social conflict; features artists and photographers documenting dreams and dreamers.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Societal Role of Dreams:
  “Once upon a time, dreams were an extraordinarily important source of knowledge ... both for the individual and for the social good in the ancient world.” – Dr. Sliwinski [03:54]

• On Curiosity:
  “Curiosity is a really rare kind of state of mind, you know, and when someone says, what does it mean when they’re dreaming ... it’s a very special and an important thing in my mind.” – Dr. Sliwinski [06:18]

• On Revisiting the Alphabet:
  “The structure was part of the strategy to kind of entice readers, to encourage them to lower their defenses and approach the topic of dreaming with a kind of childlike point of view.” – Dr. Sliwinski [08:02]

• On Community Dream Sharing:
  “We learned really quickly that people were organically using their dream life as a kind of sense making tool for the pandemic.” – Dr. Sliwinski [12:42]

• On Healing at Home:
  “She said it transformed her life because she had a kid who was going through ... some gender transformation ... And she started asking her kids every morning, ‘What did you dream about?’ … There was a sense of just peace that came over the household.” – Dr. Sliwinski [15:21]

• On the Book’s Holistic Message:
  “For me, it’s about trying to bring those two categories together ... the kind of practices that we have in our day to day lives also are a form of politics and a form of how we interact with each other in a social sense.” – Dr. Sliwinski [27:27]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:18] – Dr. Sliwinski introduces her background and inspiration.
• [05:07] – Why asking about the meaning of dreams matters.
• [07:52] – Why the book’s structure is an alphabet.
• [10:30] – The COVID Dream Project with the Museum of London.
• [13:37] – Practical impact of dream-sharing on families.
• [18:00] – How the alphabet structure took shape.
• [20:16] – Challenges with assigning dreams to specific letters.
• [22:23] – Importance of playfulness and ease in learning about dreams.
• [24:04] – Dreams as medicine—integrating tradition, neuroscience, and public health.
• [26:15] – Encouragement for listeners’ own dream practices.
• [27:52] – Preview of Dr. Sliwinski’s ongoing and future research with the Museum of Dreams.

Episode Takeaways

• Dreams are powerful, communal, and historically rich sources of knowledge and healing, deserving renewed attention and curiosity in modern life.
• Organizing dream insights through playful, accessible means (like an alphabet) can lower barriers and promote both personal and social transformation.
• Sharing and exploring dreams strengthens family bonds, builds empathy, and offers alternative viewpoints on life's challenges and conflicts.
• Dr. Sliwinski’s work and “Museum of Dreams” project continue to explore collective dream life as a model for public conversation, healing, and sense making.

For more:
An Alphabet for Dreamers: How to See the World with Eyes Closed is available from MIT Press (2025).
Learn about the Museum of Dreams project at dreammuseum.info (link not validated).