Ms. E.J. Barnes is an illustrator and graphic designer who is currently preparing a graphic novel about Elisa von der Recke and her encounter with “Count” Cagliostro. Recke was from Courland (modern-day Latvia), which gives a Slavic connection—in fact, Ms. Barnes learned some Latvian so that she could carry out her research in Mitau (now Jelgava), where Recke lived. The encounter between Recke and Cagliostro is significant because it highlights the clash between the developing ideas of the Enlightenment period and the prevalent spiritualism and superstition of the time. Cagliostro was a spiritualist who traveled Europe, claiming the ability to summon and speak with spirits, among other things. His influence and fame was broad: for example, he was implicated in the “Diamond Necklace” affair which led to the demise of Queen Marie Antoinette in France, and his ideas were combatted by Catherine the Great of Russia. Recke later published an exposé of Cagliostro—a bold step for a woman at that time. Ms. Barnes will be discussing aspects of her project ranging from her choice of the Recke/Cagliostro material to the kind of research she has undertaken in order to produce both the story and the images for her graphic novel, and she will be showing a number of illustrations from her novel. The presentation, which will be in English, promises to be intriguing for anyone interested in authorship, genre, culture, European history, women’s history, or just plain interesting ideas.