Illegible Escapes. Writing and Archiving with Avery Gordon

The Hawthorn Archive, named after the richly fabled tree, has long welcomed the participants in the various Euro-American social struggles against slavery, racial capitalism, imperialism, and authoritarian forms of order. The Archive is not a library or a research collection in the conventional sense but rather a disorganized and fugitive space for the development of a political consciousness of being indifferent to the deadly forms of power that characterize our society. Housed by the Archive are autonomous radicals, runaways, abolitionists, commoners, and dreamers who no longer live as obedient or merely resistant subjects. Fusing critical theory with creative writing in a historical context, The Hawthorn Archive represents voices from the utopian margins, where fact, fiction, theory, and image converge.

In this workshop, participants will be invited to respond and contribute to the Archive, with a text, image, little bit, concrete question mark, thread or other fragment. The session will begin with a collective discussion of the compiled materials, and then lead into an experimental writing workshop guided by a series of responsive prompts from The Hawthorn Archive ‘keeper’ Avery Gordon.

In English

Organized by

Amelia Groom, Anja Michaelsen, and Michelle Ty

The workshop requires prior registration till 28 February 2020. Only a few spaces are available and those who are interested in joining should enclose a brief CV and a few lines explaining their interest.