Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday to the staff and contributors at The AutoEthnographer! We’re excited to enter our 2nd year of publication! Born during pandemic transitions and a need for an autoethnographic third space, The AutoEthnographer has now published 75+ articles. Those publications comprise our first four regular issues. And there are two additional special issues on climate change and bodily autonomy currently in progress. We’re happy to announce that we have already accepted submissions for our next four issues. We are now planning for autumn 2023!
- Volume 1, Issue 1 (2021)
- Volume 1, Issue 2 (2021)
- Volume 2, Issue 1 (2022)
- Volume 2, Issue 2 (2022)
- Special Issue 2022: Climate Change
The Journey
I earlier reflected on my rationale for developing this publication, initially asking, “What if autoethnography were treated not as an academic subject but as an artistic one?” in The Birth of an Idea: Why I Started The AutoEthnographer. My hopes were fulfilled as we received not just writing and poetry but artwork, video, photography, and dance.
Just a few months into publication, I then asked readers, “Can you sense all of the charged energies radiating from our contributors? It seems that autoethnography is an effective vehicle for making sense of challenging experiences and emotions,” in “If You Build It…”: A Glimpse into Founding a Magazine. Our topics are as diverse as our international authors and include everything from parenting to grieving.
In reflecting on developing our magazine, I explained:
I suppose my final conclusion today is yes, taking risks and having faith are key to any creative endeavor. Sharing requires vulnerability and rejection can be painful, but some whispered voices, especially once they grow louder and more prominent, are worth heeding. The biggest part is the responsibility; a field of dreams needs continuous care and tending.
What Have We Accomplished?
Throughout this year, I’ve tended this field along with my fellow editors, a team of authors, artists, performers, and academics hailing from across five nations and three continents. Responsible for evaluating submissions, our editors have also established their own columns, presented at international conferences, and published books on autoethnography.
Since our inception, we’ve: become a charitable 501(c)(3) organization so that readers like you can now make supportive tax-deductible donations; joined the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) and Poets & Writers; earned international recognition (e.g. Shanita Mitchell’s ISAN honorable mention); and had our calls for submissions indexed in Submittable and UPENN CFPs. And just this week we were notified by the United States Library of Congress that the magazine would be indexed as “an important and valuable addition to our collections and to the historical record.” We even have an International Standard Serial Number now: ISSN: 2833-1400!
Looking Ahead
What lies ahead? We’re always happy to grow our editorial board. Interested? Work with us! Want to contribute? In addition to our regular submissions, we’re still accepting submissions for our Bodily Autonomy (’22-’23) and Laughter (’23) special issues. We’re hoping to kick off our podcast later this year and to begin offering educational resources in the new year. Look for our first international competition as well as a print anthology by the end of 2023. And beyond that? Well, who knows?
Be sure to follow our journey by spreading the word, following us on social media, and subscribing to our seasonal newsletter.
Birthday photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Pexels.com;
photo of hand with sparkler by Kristopher Roller on Unsplash;
photo of UK flag Combating Coronavirus by groovelanddesigns on Unsplash;
photo of laughing cat by v10g for Pixabay
