"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."
Autoethnographic Writing
Whether short-form or long-form, personal memoir or speculative fiction, The AutoEthnographer seeks to publish your evocative expressions of the cultural made personal.
"In "Becoming Multilingual," part 2 of my column, "¡Aguacate! Bringing Up Bebe Bilingüe," I use autoethnography as a writing approach to capture and represent the personal experiences of myself, a qualitative researcher, who has become the researched."
Catholic Boy Fights the Devil in the Mohawk River Valley is a short story that’s set in upstate New York during World War II. At a time when America was fighting fascist devils abroad, many were struggling with the devil’s influence at home.
In a single paragraph that represents one long thought, “I’d say I was a runner” explores the act of running as a form of self-therapy.
"Because I was so immersed in both history, bound in good-smelling leather, no less, and in beautiful and evocative little bottles around me as playthings, I guess it needed no further prompting. It was within my blood before I could think about what I wanted to do with my life!"
I explore the intersection of queer identity and popular culture through the lens of my adolescent crush on rock legend Tina Turner.
Story-worlds were magical—they transported me to different places where I’d meet new people, and learn about their lives in visceral ways.
Through these reflections on heritage, I delve into being a child of parents who immigrated from the Bronx to a suburban lifestyle.
"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."
"Unspeakable is a consideration of the silencing effects of stuttering, political censorship, unspeakable wartime atrocities, and the silent communication within virtual relationships."
This piece of original short fiction contains plot elements based on my recent adventures hiking remote trails in Ecuador and Colorado.
However, this autoethnographic piece helped me recognize the importance of levity even when the intellectual content is heavy.