Writing for Change ─ Research as Public Pedagogy and Arts-Based Activism

In its analysis of the potential and realities of narrative inquiry, Writing for Change is both theoretical and highly practical, offering a way to conceptualize this kind of research and providing concrete suggestions as to how it might be conducted. With its emphasis on arts-based activist education, the book also contributes to current conversations about public pedagogy. Though many educators and researchers are moving into this burgeoning field, there is a pressing need for practical examination of methodologies. Practitioners and researchers working in psychoanalytic theory will find the book useful, particularly those interested in the intersections of literature, education, and psychoanalysis. Indeed, the research methodologies and pedagogical strategies presented in the book should prove useful in a broad range of research and/or educational settings. Also, the book’s appeal is not limited to those studying the experience and voices of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transsexual, but to any marginalized population.

Claire Robson’s work as a writer, editor, and educator has spanned four decades and a variety of professional contexts, both formal and informal. Currently she is writer-in-residence for Quirk-e (the Queer Imaging & Riting Kollective for Elders), a federally funded arts-engaged community group in Vancouver. Her memoir, Love in Good Time, was published in 2003, and she edited Outside Rules, a collection of short fiction about nonconformist youth, in 2007. She was named Pink Triangle Press Writer of the Year in 2006. She received her PhD from the University of British Columbia in 2011, having won a number of awards including the Lynch History Prize, the Dean's Award, and the Joseph Katz Memorial Scholarship for work in anti-oppressive education.