"Life is not a series of gig lamps symmetrically arranged; but a luminous halo..."

Introducing A Luminous Halo: Selected Writings by Virginia Woolf; behind the scenes of creating the book & cover; an open door for common readers.

“Life is not a series of gig lamps symmetrically arranged; but a luminous halo, a semi-transparent envelope surrounding us from the beginning of consciousness to the end.”

—Virginia Woolf, “Modern Fiction”

It is perhaps obvious to most people who are interested in Cita’s larger project that the writing of Virginia Woolf is central to our work and mission. Her books are, of course, feminist classics—interrogating gender norms as thoroughly as they rewrite the formal conventions of prose. But as celebrated as novels like Mrs. Dalloway and Orlando are, and as evident as the influence of A Room of One’s Own remains, much of Woolf’s critical writing remains under-read by her ideal audience: the people who read not necessarily because they are fulfilling some scholarly or professional purpose, but because they want to. The kind of person she, like Samuel Johnson before her, lovingly termed “the common reader.”

Virginia Woolf was not the first writer to examine the complex web of relationships between life and literature, but she is certainly one of the very best. Therefore we are thrilled to present our newest addition to the Cita catalog: A Luminous Halo: Selected Writings by Virginia Woolf. From “Modern Fiction” to “How Should One Read a Book,” “The Mark on the Wall,” and more, the essays (and one short story) contained in this collection are essential for any common reader interested in how a singular figure built a bridge between her ideas and her art form. Here they come together in one volume for the first time, selected and introduced by guest editor JoAnn Borri.

You can now read the book for free in our online reader, or download a PDF or EPUB of the book. You can also print a mini-zine of “A Mark on the Wall,” designed by our own Mariana Matos, who also created the cover for this book. A print edition, which includes two works that are not yet in the public domain in the U.S., is coming soon.

A Luminous Halo: A Collaborative Project

A Luminous Halo was sponsored by and created in partnership with the Sitting Room Library in Penngrove, California. Home to the “Woolf Wall,” extensive archives related to Woolf and other women writers, and thousands of books, the Sitting Room is dedicated to literature and art by women. Anyone can visit to explore the collection and spend time reading and writing among the redwoods and words. Volunteers and regulars come from a range of professional and personal backgrounds; together they create an inviting atmosphere perfect for sharing knowledge, stories, and the joy of discovery. It is a physical sanctuary for any reader, especially us common ones. It is also, for those who can’t visit in person, a model for building community around a love of books and learning. A perusal of the Sitting Room’s catalog and archives list will show that many of their books and other materials overlap with Cita Press titles and subjects of this Bulletin. We couldn’t imagine a better partner for this project.

Nor could we conjure a better collaborator than JoAnn Borri, who is the mind behind the book’s contents and the voice who introduces readers to the book. JoAnn curates the Woolf Wall and is a devoted common reader of all things Virginia Woolf. As she writes in the foreword: “I cannot get enough. I chase after her words and thoughts with my hair ‘flying back like the tail of a racehorse,’ attempting to grasp her meaning and understand the working of her mind and imagination.” JoAnn’s passion invites us into the project of the book, leading us to find pleasure, wisdom and truth in Woolf’s reflections.

The cover illustration and editorial design is by Mariana Matos, Cita’s communications and design coordinator. Mariana creates the images for this Bulletin and for our Instagram (check out her animated promos for ALH), and is the day-to-day design brain expanding the foundation laid by our founder, Juliana Castro Varón. Beyond her work with Cita, Mariana is an interdisciplinary designer whose work explores the intersections between digital and physical design. Her other projects include:

• Orchid: a hand-bound, partially riso-printed, completely self-authored book discussing Mariana’s experiences as an immigrant.

• Space Place Landscape: a publication and interactive installation. The project asks viewers to truly consider the physical spaces we move through, and how we do (or don’t) shape them with our presence.

“View from the studio at Monk’s House”

Mariana Matos on creating the cover of A Luminous Halo:

In the foreword for A Luminous Halo, JoAnn Borri writes about how this collection and Woolf’s work directly connect to Cita’s mission. Her line “created by a Common Reader and made available to Common Readers via Cita Press, a library open to all with no barriers or closed doors to keep anyone out” put an image of an open door in the back of my mind as I read the book. Then, when I got to Woolf’s essay “How Should One Read a Book?”, I came across this passage:

“To read a book well, one should read it as if one were writing it. Begin not by sitting on the bench among the judges but by standing in the dock with the criminal. Be his fellow worker, become his accomplice.”

This quote really stuck with me as I began sketching different cover ideas, and very naturally merged with the image of a door. The title of the collection already evokes such a strong image to me, I just had to figure out where that glow should be coming from — an open door, yes, but opening to what? Possibility, limitless space for thought, something new or important revealed to you beyond the threshold.

I thought about Woolf’s words and philosophy, and decided to step into her shoes. What better way to lead the reader into Woolf’s world than by inviting them to inhabit not only her mind but her physical space: the “writing shed” where she penned much of her work. The composition is from the point of view of the reader as Woolf, sitting inside, and watching warm sunlight stream in through the open door. Woolf also had dogs during both childhood and adulthood. Dogs seemed to not only be a source of companionship for her, but also inspiration, so it felt right to include one on the cover. The sleeping dog is based off a photo of Woolf with her dog Pinka (featured in our “Writers & their Dogs” Instagram post). Historically, dogs have also been used in art and literature as symbols for protection and guidance.

Imagine stepping through the doorway into the light; Pinka, sensing your presence, wakes from sleep, ready to be your guide through Woolf’s world and words.

“Books have a great deal in common; they are always overflowing their boundaries; they are always breeding new species from unexpected matches among themselves. It is difficult to know how to approach them, to which species each belongs. But if we remember, as we turn to the bookcase, that each of these books was written by a pen which, consciously or unconsciously, tried to trace out a design…” —from “How Should One Read a Book?”

The Woolf Wall and beyond

The Sitting Room Library’s Woolf Wall is tangible: shelves to pull from, folders to flip through, treasures to touch and to hold. The collection has been built over decades, and, though it is open to all, an in-person visit is the only way to engage with it—for now. As JoAnn explains:

In addition to a complete collection of all of Woolf’s novels, essays, diaries and letters, the Woolf Wall offers an extensive selection of works that tell the story of Woolf, her family, friends and contemporaries, including the authors and artists of the well-known Bloomsbury group, and indeed much of the history of art and English literature in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

The Woolf Archives include documents and essays created without the benefit of the internet or the personal computer. A complete set of the Virginia Woolf Miscellany can be found in Box 4, as well as letters to the Sitting Room Library from Woolf scholars, family members and friends.

Although the books and archives may only be accessed in person, the Sitting Room Library staff are working with Cita Press to make more of our materials accessible online.

Over time, we will be adding selected material from the Woolf Wall archives to the Are.na channel for this book. Right now the channel hosts things that are already online, such as: 1970s radio broadcast readings; digitized images from the Berg Collection; scanned originals of pieces from the book; books from the ALH bibliography; and much more. The channel is open, so anyone can collaborate and add to it. Be our “accomplice”…

A key section of the Woolf Wall collection is already available to you from any location. J.J. Wilson, a co-founder of the Sitting Room and professor emerita of English at Sonoma State University, co-founded the Virginia Woolf Miscellany in 1973. In the very first issue, J.J. and fellow editors Peggy Comstock, Rebecca Davison, Ellen Rogat, and Lucio Ruotolo made explicit the role of the journal’s readers:

Virginia Woolf’s work is being read today with a new energy, intensity and sympathy. There exists a growing demand for information about her life and work from the common reader as well as the scholar. The Virginia Woolf Miscellany will attempt to answer some of these needs. In doing so, we hope to involve readers in what are usually termed “editorial” decisions…As the existence and value of this venture depend upon your involvement, please give your attention to our questionnaire printed on the mail-back insert .

Vara Neverow, Professor of English and Women’s Studies at Southern Connecticut State University and editor of the Miscellany since 2003, has continued this spirit. The journal still encourages contributions and feedback from readers, and all issues of the journal are fully available, for free, online.

Our roles as common readers

It is our hope that this project expands your engagement with Woolf’s body of work, inspiring you to seek out more of her writing and to connect with her ideas when you read other writers, across genres. For, though the works we’ve brought together were written 95+ years ago, Woolf’s thoughts— and the layered, gorgeous way she unravels them for us—are more vital than ever. For us common readers, reading is a pastime, an escape, a tool for enduring a commute or a waiting room. But it is also a way to make sense of this world, of digesting realities, and of navigating how everything is always the same but also always “moving, falling, slipping, vanishing.” And Woolf is the perfect guide for understanding how books help us do this.

JoAnn Borri puts it perfectly:

My hope is that this partnership will introduce Woolf’s essays to a new group of readers who didn’t even know they wanted to read Woolf’s essays. Also, I feel certain that Woolf would approve of any project that provides free and open access to women’s literature.

What Else?

• Explore the A Luminous Halo Are.na channel for links, images, ebooks, and more.

• For more Cita Press Bulletin x Virginia Woolf, read:

  • “...let the line of thought dip deep into the stream.” (January 2025): On the enduring power of A Room of One’s Own; the women who shaped Woolf; “repairing” the past via the public domain?

  • “...there is no gate, no lock, no bolt, that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.” (July 2024): On Mad pride via Madwomen in the Attic, Ten Days in a Mad-House & Virginia Woolf; The Snake Pit, Camille Claudel.

  • “...in my day I was a Pioneer and a Menace,” (February 2024): Untangling the public domain via Virginia Woolf, Nella Larsen.

• Thank you to everyone who came out to the Litquake Small Press Book Fair this past weekend to support indie presses, booksellers, and writers. It was so wonderful to talk about books with so many thoughtful, kind people. Special thanks to the Litquake organizers, the performers from Litquake Out Loud, the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival staff, and festival sponsor Alta Journal.

• Mariana will be representing Cita at the Detroit Art Book Fair on Saturday, October 11 (12-6 pm) and Sunday, October 12 (12-4 pm) at Trinosophes. Each year, the fair brings together dozens of independent publishers, artists, writers, and collectors to present their books, zines, and prints to the public. Free! Open to all!

• You can catch Jessi in the Bay Area again in just two weeks for the Litquake panel “Scribbling Women” Strike Back! She’ll be talking about recovering women’s writing and legacies with Kim Askew and Amy Helmes of Lost Ladies of Lit; Iris Jamahl Dunkle, author of Riding Like the Wind: The Life of Sanora Babb and Finding Lost Voices; Jessica Ferri of Womb House Books; Mimi Pond, author of Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me; and Emily Van Duyne, author of Loving Sylvia Plath: A Reclamation. October 14, 7 pm, at Mrs. Dalloway’s in Berkeley—details and RSVP here.

“May I end by venturing to remind you of the duties and responsibilities that are yours as partners in this business of writing books, as companions in the railway carriage, as fellow travelers with Mrs. Brown? For she is just as visible to you who remain silent as to us who tell stories about her. In the course of your daily life this past week you have had far stranger and more interesting experiences than the one I have tried to describe. You have overheard scraps of talk that filled you with amazement. You have gone to bed at night bewildered by the complexity of your feelings. In one day thousands of ideas have coursed through your brains; thousands of emotions have met, collided, and disappeared in astonishing disorder…” —from “Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Brown”