Former ISM fellow wins the 2026 Jerome E. Singerman Prize
Dr. Michelle Karnes, a former fellow at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music (2018–2019) and professor of English at the University of Notre Dame, has been awarded the 2026 Jerome E. Singerman Prize for her book Medieval Marvels and Fictions in the Latin West and Islamic World (University of Chicago Press, 2022).
Karnes worked on the book during her fellowship year, developing a study of medieval understandings of marvels—phenomena such as the evil eye, prophecy, and telekinesis. Bridging philosophy, literature, and religious traditions across Latin and Islamicate worlds, her work explores how medieval thinkers grappled with the boundaries between truth and imagination.
Her prize-winning book has been widely praised for its intellectual depth, comparative scope, and elegant prose, offering a fresh perspective on how marvels functioned as a space of possibility rather than simple belief or disbelief.
Congratulations to Michelle on this well-deserved recognition!