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Diana Senechal currently teaches philosophy at Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science & Engineering.  Her book, Republic of Noise: The Loss of Solitude in Schools and Culture, examines ways in which individuals, schools, and culture are pushing solitude aside. It looks at what solitude is; why we need it and avoid it; and what can happen when we drive it away.  Photo by StudioDuda Photography.

Yiyun Li grew up in Beijing and now lives in the United States. Kinder Than Solitude, her latest novel, explores why some people choose to be alone:  as a way to avoid facing uncomfortable questions about the past. Her other books include ‘A Thousand Years of Good Prayers’, ‘The Vagrants’,  and ‘Gold Boy, Emerald Girl’. They have been translated into more than twenty languages.

Eleanor Catton was born in Canada but raised and lives in New Zealand. The winner of the prestigious 2013 Man Booker Prize, and a host of other awards, Eleanor’s second novel ‘The Luminaries’ is set in 19th century New Zealand, a world littered with loners who've abandoned friends and families in search of gold.  But not all solitude is loneliness: ‘It’s dreadful to feel alone and really be alone.  But I love to enjoy the feeling when I am not’, says one of Catton’s characters.  Photo © Robert Catto.