Rhetorics/Rights/(R)evolutions: Feminism(s): Radical Prose in Creative Writing
Friday, October 6, 9:00-10:45am
Marriott Ballroom
Roundtable Leaders:
Meredith Doench, University of Dayton
Ellen O’Conell Whittett, University of California Santa Barbara
Lindsey Light, University of Dayton
Catalina Bartlett, Michigan State University
Use this LINK to sign up by September 15th.
Description:
This roundtable will weave together multiple ways in which creative writers are incorporating the issues of feminisms into their work. The written word, particularly given the environment of our current political culture, holds great power in its representations and its arguments regarding rights and the (R)evolution of women. To that end, this roundtable is concerned with how creative writers use the narrative to engage issues of feminist/human/women’s rights activism and advocacy, women’s social justice rhetorics, historical representations of feminisms, intersectionality, and the evolving categories of “women” and their concerns.
Given the shift in the American political culture, this roundtable is also interested in the ongoing battle for gender equality and the narratives that creative writers are using to represent those struggles. One element that was highlighted in The Women’s March in D.C. and the sister cities was the sheer frustration of marginalized voices that have been silenced for too long, including those of women of color and the LGBTQ community. The protest, in essence, was filled with these very narratives that underline the “female experience,” both historical or contemporary. With this in mind, the roundtable will investigate how writers have represented a range of voices in their work and the various roles those voices play—whether it is a character full of protest and actively fighting patriarchy on the job force or a character who quietly battles her father and husband in subtle but equally important ways.
The roundtable will include short presentations from participants on feminisms within their creative work, followed by a reading of original work that illustrates the uses of feminisms. Participants will have access to each other’s creative work ahead of time to facilitate a workshop-like experience for the reading. The roundtable will conclude with a question, answer, and discussion period.
Although this roundtable will be presented in an academic conference and setting, this roundtable is particularly interested in the ways in which creative writers engage issues of feminisms outside of the academy in their own work. For instance, how do these topics emerge in not only literary works, but across genres? How are feminisms represented in daily living, family dynamics, suburbs vs. cities, various careers, and American society in general? Given these questions, then, how does the relationship between women’s academic spaces and practices intersect with the non-academic?
The ultimate question for this roundtable, however, is where do we go from here? How do we as creative writers work to incorporate representations of women and their rights in our work? How do we push against the boundaries that society has set for us to redefine meaning and reshape boundaries?
Use this LINK to sign up.