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autoethnographer: one who uses lived experience as evidence with which to explore cultural phenomena.
FROM OUR ARCHIVES
"And these are the things I carry: the memories of those gone before us; the names of those entrusted to me to care for."
"This is an autoetnography of a black fatherhood journey which encapsulates my hopes, my fears, my love of baby and mother, while trying my best to make sense of a Black fatherhood I wanted so very dearly."
When Whistles Melt into Beeps: Four Poems for AutoEthnographer Author’s Memo I...
This piece, Hot Pink Truth Serum of My Trauma, is an autoethnography that speaks to the cultures and communities of survivors of childhood sexual abuse and violence.
Patricia Leavy·
All ContentAutoethnographic EssaysCelebrating Dr. Patricia Leavy's Social Fiction 2024Special Issues
··30 min readIn Part One, I situated my work within the context of the work of writers. Now, I’m situating my work within the context of women writers.
"She needs to be an artist to be an artist-teacher in adult community learning. She needs to do both to become the best she can be."
This autoethnographic narrative describes the growth and development I experienced once I found mentors who, despite my lack of “natural musical abilities” or “talent,” believed I could learn.
Vivian Wagner·
All ContentAutoethnographic Art & MultimediaAutoethnographic PoetryClimate Change Special Issue, 2022Special Issues
··8 min read“We noticed signs of climate change and felt a sense of impending doom, even as we witnessed how human beings across the continent are trying to keep alive a sense of culture, art, and kindness.”
This work addresses the issue of young women being underserved as health care patients, specifically through the lens of medical gaslighting.
Patricia Leavy·
All ContentAutoethnographic EssaysCelebrating Dr. Patricia Leavy's Social Fiction 2024Special Issues
··6 min readStory-worlds were magical—they transported me to different places where I’d meet new people, and learn about their lives in visceral ways.
Madison, Wisconsin is full of surprises, sometimes entertaining, always enlightening. But I didn’t plan for an abortion protest during a family weekend.
The dynamic taking place in these poems was autoethnography, a hybrid of my investigation of the 1960's coupled with my personal experience.
FROM OUR ARCHIVES
autoethnographer: one who uses lived experience as evidence with which to explore cultural phenomena.
What is autoethnography? The AutoEthnographer's international team of editors offer definitions & suggested readings.
“The AutoEthnographer is an award-winning, non-profit, open-access, peer-reviewed literary and arts magazine dedicated to presenting the creative side of autoethnography, a qualitative research method uniting ethnography and autobiography that utilizes lived experience as evidence with which to explore cultural phenomena." ISSN: 2833-1400
AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC WRITING
AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC POETRY
AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC WRITING
"One can’t write poetry without love. It is the strongest and the most vital root in poetry."
"As fragrance, and perfume in particular, has played a major role in the shaping of my writer’s voice, and participation in cultures of fragrance has had a major impact upon my identity, it is impossible to situate myself outside of these cultures. It is because of this privilege of “insider identity” within the global fragrance community and my natural inclination towards narrative research that I turned to autoethnography."
This piece of original short fiction contains plot elements based on my recent adventures hiking remote trails in Ecuador and Colorado.
AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC MULTIMEDIA
In today's new podcast & video Marlen Harrison talks with current marketing interns about the role of culture in using Google Ads.
How do creatives find joy in artistic performance as a form of black feminist autoethnography? Podcast & video.
“Entanglements of the Mind, Soul, and Body” details our journey as researchers utilizing narrative collage and collage portraits as a tool for data analysis.
"Armored Corps: The spirit of combativeness and human resilience" is the theme of a graphic narrative project.
“What is it like to live and work in a regional comprehensive university during a time of major organizational change and intense conflict?”
We invite you to participate in National Poetry month with us by reading and writing over at The AutoEthnographer's new Facebook group.
"'SEE ME, Windows to the Self of the Performer-Autoethnographer' explores the question, 'What can I learn about myself by making artwork as autoethnography'?
Diane Riggins·
All ContentAutoethnographic EssaysAutoethnographic WritingReflections on MethodVolume 1, Issue 2 (2021)
··5 min read"My thesis began to unfold after doing some research on my final topic idea about Tolkien’s world, female characters, female gamers, and the stereotype that females are the love interests or damsels in distress. I chose autoethnography because it allowed me to add that personal angle to the paper because I am a female writer, reader, and gamer."
"In my interview with award-winning author Patricia Leavy on literary research, we also discuss her evolution from academic to novelist, her genre of "social fiction," and her latest novels series, Celestial Bodies."
Humor acts as a defense mechanism, a pressure release valve, a teaching tool. As a heart surgeon, I have used laughter for all these reasons.
"Here is a humble attempt for the 2022 special issue that comes in simple words to show how climate change begins at home."
"This is an autoethnographic narrative where I use my own marriage to tell a story about love, bodily autonomy, acceptance and illness."
NEWS, INTERVIEWS & REVIEWS
"Congratulations to Shanita Mitchell, Editorial Board member of The AutoEthnographer and multimedia artist, for her recognition by the International Association of Autoethnography and Narrative Inquiry (IAANI)."
In The AutoEthnographer’s latest podcast, Marlen Harrison talks with Sandra Faulkner about collage and visual poetry.
How do creatives find joy in artistic performance as a form of black feminist autoethnography? Podcast & video.
SPECIAL ISSUES
Visitation, an Autoethnodrama in One Act
In this autoethnographic play, a woman terminates a pregnancy without telling her husband.
EDUCATION, INTERVIEWS, PODCASTS, & REVIEWS
REFLECTIONS ON METHOD


























































































































