Going Beyond What You Know

We consider the benefits of going beyond the local and the personal, looking at classic and contemporary examples of writers who have transcended their situatedness. How to chart the unfamiliar? How to make the most of going beyond comfort zones? What are the risks, and the advantages of adapting this approach? We’ll consider different kinds of research: virtual; archival; experiential; interviews. We shall look at techniques for encouraging lateral thinking. Timothy Morton’s Ecology Without Nature will be challenged in an ‘ecology without theory’, ultimately leading to an ‘ecology of theory’ which advocates the relational over the discretism of Object-Orientated Ontology. Going ‘beyond your geography’ and ‘beyond your temporality’ is encouraged. The issue of cultural appropriation will be raised. Finally, ‘Spores’ will offer suggested writing activities; and ‘Mycelia’ connections to other writers, texts, and resources.