Romania took hold of my heart in 2015 and since then has consumed my mind and soul. As with any genuine commitment, my relationship with this beautiful, complex country has grown and deepened over time as I have learned of its many tragedies, as well as its many triumphs. I have surrendered myself to Romania. [...] As I continue my Romanian journey, I marvel over the resiliency and fortitude of the people. I am fortunate to have developed close relationships, familial in many ways, with many Romanians. And I am eternally grateful to have been granted a Fulbright and honored to become part of this amazing community.
Exit Strategies, Volume 3
U.S. Fulbright Scholar David Gracon continues his dialogue-driven series “Exit Strategies: Critical Dialogues and Alternative Media” with a Zoom presentation from the USA and an in-person discussion about zines at Transilvania University of Brașov.
Volume 3: Zines! An Introduction to DIY (do-it-yourself) Publishing
Date/Time: Monday, February 26th, 2024, 18:00-20:00
Location: T Building, Room TP8, Transilvania University of Brașov (25 Eroilor Boulevard)
Description (presentation via Zoom): In this presentation, writing and rhetoric scholar Dr. Jason Luther will discuss zines, self-published, small-run print publications born and circulated by and for communities that have historically existed along the margins of the mainstream. Whether zines challenge corporate, patriarchal power or obsess over popular culture, zines offer a rich example of alternative writing spaces that amplify voices using do-it-yourself (DIY) methods that draw from the available means of production. Dr. Luther will offer several examples of such zines, discuss their history, distribution methods, suggest how the internet changed zine culture, and what these means for the kinds of college-level writing classes he teaches in the U.S.
Bio: Jason Luther’s research focuses on multimodal counterpublics and DIY participatory media, especially zines. His work has most recently appeared in enculturation, Community Literacy Journal, Reflections, and SoundEffects. He is Associate Professor of Writing Arts at Rowan University where he teaches courses on self-publishing, digital and multimodal composition, pop culture, and sound writing. Luther is also the co-founder of Syracuse in Print, the Factsheet Five Archive Project (f5archive.org), and a public scholar for the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.
—————
Series Description: This speaker series features a combination of critical media scholars, artists and activists. It entails talks, conversations, media screenings and performances that examine historical and contemporary issues related to critical media theory and active media practices happening in the world. The series reinforces the importance of independent and alternative media that functions outside the dominant media systems in search of new ideas, inspiration and critical thinking skills necessary for a democratic, humanizing and interesting society.
This dialogue driven series is open to both the Transilvania University (students, faculty and staff) and the greater Brașov, Romania community and beyond.
—————
Programmer Bio: Dr. David Gracon is a U.S. Fulbright Scholar and visiting professor of American Studies/Communication at Transilvania University located in Brasov, Romania with a project focused on critical media literacy education. His research/creative and teaching interests include critical media literacy, the political economy of media, alternative media and documentary film. He was previously a Fulbright Scholar in Ukraine (2017-2018) and has served as a faculty member at Eastern Illinois University and Gonzaga University. He is currently developing an educational startup: Media Literacy Access Initiative (MLAI). His film and video works have been screened at the Chicago and Seattle Underground Film Festivals and at 50+ other venues.
For more information/Contact: davidgracon@gmail.com
👉 Critical Dialogues and Alternative Media » Fulbright Romania