The University of West Georgia’s Ingram Library recently announced Courtney Block as the Ingo Swann Research Fellow for 2026.
The Ingo Swann Research Fellowship was established in honor of artist, author, practitioner and teacher of remote viewing, Ingo Swann, to advance scholarship in the field of parapsychology and to encourage use of the human consciousness collections in Ingram Library’s Special Collections in unique and creative ways.
Block is an author, researcher and academic librarian who has written about the paranormal from a variety of perspectives, including an overview of the field, critical evaluation of the paranormal, sites of hauntings, as well as the history, work, and experience of women working within the field of parapsychology.
“Academic parapsychology is an area within psychology that focuses on understanding anomalous or exceptional human experiences (AEs) and what they suggest about consciousness,” said Dr. Christine Simmonds-Moore, professor of psychology. “Some experiences suggest an anomalous process of information or energy transfer (psi), such as having an experience relating to one’s future. These experiences are reported across different cultures and periods of history and seem to be part of being human. It is important for academics to systematically study these experiences regarding how they might be explained as well as their impact on people’s lives, health, history, culture and politics. Research is ongoing in UWG’s psychology program into these experiences.”
A sampling of Block’s works include “The Encyclopedia of Parapsychology,” “Researching the Paranormal: How to Find Reliable Information about Parapsychology, Ghosts, Astrology, Cryptozoology, Near-Death Experiences and More,” “Inside the World’s Haunted Libraries” and the article, “Ten Women of Early Psychical Research.”
Block’s present research seeks to amplify the voices of the lesser-known women working within the field of parapsychology and to expand upon their lives and experiences working within the discipline.
“By preserving and curating collections on human consciousness and parapsychology, the Ingram Library’s Special Collections ensures that the history of inquiry into some of humanity’s most profound questions remains accessible for future scholarship,” Craig Schroer, professor and systems librarian, shared.
“Ingram Library houses a collection called Humanistic Psychology and Human Consciousness, which includes materials associated with key figures in parapsychology, transpersonal psychology and theorizing about the nature and capacity of consciousness,” Simmonds-Moore continued. “These include the Ingo Swann collection, which includes records relating to the U.S. government program that evaluated the possibility of psi phenomena during the cold war.”
There will be a free public lecture on Block’s research on Thursday, Aug. 20, at 7 p.m. The lecture will be held on the UWG Carrollton campus and live streamed.
For more information, please email Schroer at [email protected]. To learn more about the Ingo Swann Research Fellowship, visit the fellowship’s page.
