autoethnographer: one who uses lived experience as evidence with which to explore cultural phenomena.
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I use autoethnography to provide first-hand observations in the predominantly conservative English classroom as a way to analyze and understand a rise in toxic masculinity and its detrimental impacts.
Poems As a Form of Powerful Activism and Barrier-breakers is a compilation of three poems which mean a lot for me.
Jesus and Fentanyl: A Mortician's Perspective is actually thoughts from a funeral director and also an ode to an overdose victim.
This is a conversation with Patricia Leavy about writing fiction during the pandemic and her new novel, The Location Shoot.
In this essay, the current reality of queerness is juxtaposed against milestones in my own life as a queer man in America.
In my poetry, I highlight negative depictions of Catholic religion and discuss how they differ from my own experiences as a Catholic.
What is my responsibility as a trans feminine person when the human-induced strain on the planet is the driver of the climate crisis?
The poem driving this experimental film about television considers the insomniacs who wake at the same time each night in rhythm.
This work shows that the benefits of reading multiple texts, each from a different perspective provides opportunities for students.
In this story I shifted my attention to the young woman –a nurse or a volunteer– who sat beside me and held my hand throughout abortion.
One Man’s Perspective on Grieving and Death is a narrative representation of death as a universal humanistic theme.
This artwork is based on a startling and memorable encounter at the local vet while attempting to get Anaïs spayed.
LATEST POSTS
The AutoEthnographer is excited to announce its new Call for Submissions, 2023 Special Issue: “Laughter”
autoethnographer: one who uses lived experience as evidence with which to explore cultural phenomena.
“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
What is autoethnography? The AutoEthnographer's international team of editors offer definitions & suggested readings.
Readers can ask questions about autoethnography or invite an editor to speak to their group or classroom.
Students at any age or level can be nominated for our student scholarships which come with an opportunity to join our editorial board!
MISSION
THE AUTOETHNOGRAPHER is a digital magazine dedicated to creating a public, open-source space for creatives to share their personal stories of cultural experience. We aim to support emerging authors and artists, to promote cultural diversity and appreciation, and to celebrate creative expression as a vehicle for shared understanding and positive change.
MISSION
THE AUTOETHNOGRAPHER is a digital magazine dedicated to creating a public, open-source space for creatives to share their personal stories of cultural experience. We aim to support emerging authors and artists, to promote cultural diversity and appreciation, and to celebrate creative expression as a vehicle for shared understanding and positive change.

NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS
SPECIAL ISSUE 2023: LAUGHTER
American author Mark Twain said it best when he wrote, “Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.” With the world ever balancing so much to cry about with so much to laugh about, The AutoEthnographer Literary and Arts Magazine is excited to announce its call for submissions for the 2023 special issue.
AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC LITERARY NONFICTION
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AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC LITERARY FICTION
Visitation, an Autoethnodrama in One Act
In this autoethnographic play, a woman terminates a pregnancy without telling her husband.
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AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC POETRY
FEATURED POET: MILTON KARP
"My poems are not entirely mine. They belong to the people and events of my passage through life. For once the dam is breached its contents flow unabridged. - Milton Carp, poet at 91"
A Startling Note: "Looking for Gay Friends" in the Triangle Place narrates a gay man’s experience of sexual awakening on a university campus.
A new call for submissions that celebrate, problematize, challenge, or illuminate the many meanings of "queer."
In this essay, the current reality of queerness is juxtaposed against milestones in my own life as a queer man in America.
"This is my childhood memory of realizing the power of laughter when everything interior and exterior makes me scared."
I wrote a study of my own faith, bankrupt as it may be, using story of my father, through the lens of Jewishness as I define it for myself.
"Give Me a Strawberry Cockroach" is the first article in our 2023 special issue on laughter and tells a story of Japanese language learning and performance.
This collection of poems is a glimpse into the lives lived on the margins, where the laws put in place to protect basic rights and bodily autonomy cease to apply.
"The AutoEthnographer announces a new call for submissions for a late 2022 special issue, 'Bodily Autonomy Rights (Abortion, Circumcision, Contraception).'"
"I write at length about my experiences surviving rape and abuse as a Western woman in Japan. I was lucky to get out alive."
Our future depends on readers like you.
$1 a month can help us reach our goals and continue to provide a platform for important voices and stories.
"Award-winning artist, Suzanne Hughes, talks about autoethnography and painting. Suzanne is responsible for the cover art for our special issue based on climate change."
"I have continued to explore the usefulness of various poetic forms as a mechanism for providing access to suppressed internal voices."
"The Pandemic Nature Project is a 35-minute short autoethnographic film that traces a series of personal experiences, emotional reactions, and critical responses to COVID across a series of short vignettes."
AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC WRITING
"Not Forgotten: Another Glimpse into the Funeral Industry" is a new work of flash nonfiction from our columnist Hollace Sheppard.
LEARN MORE “Bodily Autonomy: A Fetus for a Fetus” explores the cultural issues of what it means to...
"Sookie was never meant to be my support dog. The subject of this autoethnographic literary nonfiction, I rescued her when I was 17 years old and it was by far the best decision I have ever made."

HAVE YOU HEARD?
We're podcasting!
Listen to The AutoEthnographer in the car or on the go and enjoy discussions with artists, authors, performers, and researchers from around the world. In our 20-minute episodes we examine how autoethnography can be utilized in diverse contexts, from marketing and coaching to painting and songwriting.
AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC MULTIMEDIA
Today we're talking with the award-winning author, researcher, and performer, Shanita Mitchell about performance and autoethnography.
"Award-winning artist, Suzanne Hughes, talks about autoethnography and painting. Suzanne is responsible for the cover art for our special issue based on climate change."
"Dr. Nadine Khair discusses why autoethnography is essential to successful businesses in this latest podcast."
“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.”
"Award-winning artist, Suzanne Hughes, talks about autoethnography and painting. Suzanne is responsible for the cover art for our special issue based on climate change."
"Then comes that special brand of rage and dejection that the patriarchy inspires by attempting to steal away with my bodily autonomy."
IAANI AWARD WINNER
“A Seat at the Table” is the autoethnographic manifestation of my vulnerability, anger, and anguish, of my black feminist grit."
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Sign up for our seasonal newsletter, only four times a year.
Get updates about The AutoEthnographer direct to your inbox!
Sign up for our seasonal newsletter, only four times a year.
The Ultimate Wave: Prose Poetry of the Pandemic and Parents Author’s Memo “The Wave” examines the problem of...
"Bringing up Baby” is a collection of collage and erasure poems that function as praise for and critique of (white) mothering.
"Damned," the first publication in The AutoEthnographer's Bodily Autonomy issue, is the product of my confused reflection and internal conversations with the culture that raised me."
FEATURED POET: MILTON KARP
"My poems are not entirely mine. They belong to the people and events of my passage through life. For once the dam is breached its contents flow unabridged. - Milton Carp, poet at 91"
"In this brief, animated autoethnography, I utilize the concept of a sociocultural third space to consider why evocative autoethnography can benefit from its own literary and arts journal."
"Once I have the first line or two, the rest of the poem seems to flow rather easily. I write whatever comes to mind. Somewhat like a story rather than a poem. I then start to take out the excess words and phrases and pare it down to the essence of what I wish to say. Other times I do not change a word. The muses come and go on their own. I also believe poetry has chosen me."
How do creatives find joy in artistic performance as a form of black feminist autoethnography? Podcast & video.
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Sign up for our seasonal newsletter, only four times a year.
NEWS, INTERVIEWS & REVIEWS
Narrating Estrangement is written by those who have decided to distance themselves from, or have been driven out by, their families.
Poet Anne McCrary Sullivan discusses her latest book Learning Calabar, Notes from a Poet’s Year in Nigeria with editor Michelle Reale.
”As of January, 2022 The AutoEthnographer Literary & Arts Magazine is recognized by the United States Internal Revenue Service as a registered nonprofit organization with the mission of becoming a trusted, open-source platform to share and educate readers about evocative personal inquiry, to support emerging authors and artists, to promote cultural diversity and appreciation, and to celebrate creative expression as a vehicle for shared understanding.”
AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC ESSAYS
NEWS, INTERVIEWS & REVIEWS

HAVE YOU HEARD?
We're podcasting!
Listen to The AutoEthnographer in the car or on the go and enjoy discussions with artists, authors, performers, and researchers from around the world. In our 20-minute episodes we examine how autoethnography can be utilized in diverse contexts, from marketing and coaching to painting and songwriting.
REFLECTIONS ON METHOD