Under the Skin: An Exploration of Autotheory [Arianne Zwartjes]

Intermediate / Advanced | Since Maggie Nelson’s 2015 book The Argonauts referenced autotheory, the term has had some buzz in the literary world. Autotheory—loosely defined as writing that mixes embodied personal narrative with philosophy, criticism, or theory—is often hybrid not only in discipline, but also in genre and form. In this weekend writing intensive, we will explore autotheory through authors such as Christina Sharpe, Maggie Nelson, Bhanu Kapil, Chris Kraus, and Gloria Anzaldúa, with a mixture of generative writing, reading, and discussion.