Aja Y. Martinez
Aja Martinez, a woman with medium-length brown hair, is framed in front of a bookshelf
Dr. Aja Y. Martinez is Assistant Professor of English at University of North Texas. Her scholarship, published nationally and internationally, makes a compelling case for counterstory as methodology in rhetoric and writing studies through the well-established framework of critical race theory (CRT). Her book, Counterstory: The Rhetoric and Writing of Critical Race Theory,has been named one of the 20 Best New Rhetoric Books to Read in 2021 by BookAuthority.Her writing has appeared in College English, Composition Studies, Peitho, and Rhetoric Review.
Title: Writing Critical Race Counterstory: A Writer's Workshop
Date: Friday, April 16, 5-6:30 PM EST
Description: Counterstory is a writing and research method of Critical Race Theory, founded in creative non-fiction genres of oral history, slave narrative, and testimonio. As a narrative form, counterstory illuminates other(ed) perspectives about genre and dominant ideology, and functions as a method for social justice-oriented writers to intervene in and counter practices that dismiss or decenter racism (and other intersecting forms of oppression and marginalization) and those whose lives are affected daily by it. In this workshop, writers will have the option to begin the process of crafting counterstories in genres of dialogue, autobiography, and/or allegory, based on personal experience and supported by data and literatures on their chosen topics. Through this exploration of new genres we will explore methods aimed at improving our skills in storytelling toward connecting narratives to our research project and larger arguments.
There is a recommended reading for workshop participants. The first chapter to Dr. Martinez's book, Counterstory, provides the reader with a history and the tenets of critical race theory, which will be helpful for framing the discussion of writing counterstory within the workshop.
This workshop is limited to 40 participants.