Brooke Blackmon Bryan
Associate Professor of Writing and Aesthetics, Program Director: Writing, Managing Director of Antioch Review and Antioch Writers' Workshop
Brooke Blackmon Bryan is Associate Professor of Writing and Aesthetics at Antioch College, serving as Managing Editor of the Antioch Review and director of the reclaimed and equally-renowned Antioch Writers Workshop. Trained in philosophy and art theory with a commitment to creative nonfiction and dialogue-based interview, her work emerges from direct encounter and engagement with works and words.
With a primary appointment in the Humanities, Brooke teaches first year writing through advanced writing in creative nonfiction, contributing to the Interdisciplinary Arts and Creative Practice and Culture, Power, Change focus areas of Antioch’s self design major program. Her intertextual research explores how the art object happens (comes into being), can be handled, is allowed to perish (or be used up), or how such an object could be ‘saved’ or preserved. Currently writing on the American Quilt, she is interested in how objects of utility that have been brought under the phantasm of art in recent decades (and thereby under the purview of the museum and archive) are understood by contemporary conversation thinking. Taking up a critique of new materialisms while engaging ontological concerns that span Bergson, Heidegger, and Deleuze, this research seeks the iterative and the incorporeal in such varied and diverse art practices as Japanese Boro, African American quilts collected by Eli Leon and recently accessioned by the Berkeley Art Museum, the making and remaking of the Grand Ise Shrine, the restoration practices of classic car enthusiasts, and the tin encasements commissioned to encase traditional wheaten wreaths by artist Ana Lupas.
Marking more than 10 years as a full time member of the Antioch College faculty, she also directs the Writing Program and serves as founding director and lead of the Oral History in the Liberal Arts program for the Great Lakes Colleges Association and Global Liberal Arts Alliance, where best-practice interview methods are deployed as a pedagogical tool for faculty-mentored undergraduate fieldwork.
Under Brooke’s leadership beginning in Fall of 2024, the Antioch Review will reclaim its place among internationally-renowned journals publishing essays, fiction and poetry— continuing its 80-year tradition of editorial innovation while reinstantiating the esteemed Antioch Writers Workshop as one of its annual programs on the historic campus of Antioch College.
EDUCATION
- Ph.D. Candidate, Philosophy, Aesthetics, and Art Theory, Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts (ABD)
- M.A., Humanities— Oral History Methodology & Sound Studies, Antioch University
- B.A., Humanities— World Classics, Antioch University
AWARDS
- Post-Secondary Teaching Award, Oral History Association (2017)
- Faculty Excellence in Service Award, SOCHE (2017)
- Osman C. Hooper In-Depth Reporting Award, Ohio Newspaper Association (2010 and 2011)
NEWS & FEATURES
COURSES TAUGHT @ ANTIOCH COLLEGE
- ENG 101/105 English Composition: Content and Form
- ENG 251: Expository Writing: Personal Scholarly Narrative
- ENG 251: Expository Writing: Mode & Genre
- ENG 351: Advanced Expository Writing: Long-form Creative Nonfiction
- ENG 351: Advanced Expository Writing: Writing About Art
- CLCN 145: Community Reporting
- LIT 299: Professional & Technical Writing
- VISA 365: Visual and Critical Studies Seminar
- ARTS 494: Senior Seminar: Studio Practice & Critique
- EXPR 251: Antioch Community Action
- EXPR 251: Antioch Community Research
- GS 210: Global Seminar on Water and
- GS 210: Global Seminar Continuing Studies: Borderlands
- WORK 150: Work Portfolio I— On Working
- WORK 331: Sound, Sight, Sentiment: Phenomenologies of Place
- WORK 425: Humanities Fieldwork: Oral History & Digital Scholarship
- WORK 475: Extended Field Experience
- COOP 245-03: Co-op Field Experience: Work-Being (Writing Subject-Object)
CONFERENCES, INSTITUTES, WORKSHOPS
- Forthcoming: Antioch Writers Workshop, residential institute, summer 2024, Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio.
- Forthcoming: Writing About Art: Aesthetics and Art Theory. Week 1 November 27 – December 1
Week 2 December 4 – December 8 2023. Experimental writing workshops on site and at Museums throughout the Miami Valley, for community audit or credit as ENG 351 Advanced Expository Writing or VISA 365 Visual and Critical Studies Seminar.
- The Global Liberal Arts Alliance Institute on Oral History in the Liberal Arts. July-August 2023. Antioch College.
- [CO-ORGANIZING SUSPENDED DUE TO COVID-19]: International Orality & Oral History Institute. Global Liberal Arts Alliance. Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Quito, Ecuador, June 2020.
- Conference Co-Organizer, with Dr. Simon Gray of Great Lakes Colleges Association. Global Liberal Arts Alliance Oral History Workshop. American University of Bulgaria, June 25-July 2, 2019.
- Conference Organizer. Oral History in the Liberal Arts Summer Institute: A workshop supporting community-based learning with oral history & digital storytelling. Antioch College, July 9-13 2019.
- Conference co-Organizer, with Prof. Ric Sheffield of Kenyon College. Oral History in the Liberal Arts Summer Institute: A workshop supporting community-based learning with oral history & digital storytelling. Kenyon College, July 2018.
- Conference co-organizer, Oral History in the Liberal Arts Faculty Development Intensive. With Tania Boster (Oberlin) and Chryssa Zachou (Head of the Department of Sociology, Deree College-the American College of Greece). June 21, 2018.
- Conference co-organizer, with Professor Dierdre Johnston. “Oral History in the Liberal Arts Introductory Regional Workshop: Community-based Learning through Interview Fieldwork and Digital Scholarship” Hope College, Holland, MI. May 2018.
- Conference Co-Organizer, with Professor Ric Sheffield of Kenyon College. Oral History in the Liberal Arts Summer Institute: A workshop supporting community-based learning with oral history & digital storytelling. Kenyon College, July 2017.
RECENT SCHOLARLY ACTIVITIES
- Panelist/Workshop Lead. History Design Lab Institute. January 6-7, 2020, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio. Invited.
- Panelist. “From Historical Inquiry to Happenings of Being: Oral History as Phenomenological Praxis & Pedagogy” in Positionality, Perspective, and Praxis: Reflections and New Directions in Interviewing” panel. Oral History Association Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, October 16-20, 2019.
- Guest Lecturer. “Tactical Outreach and Interview Strategies for Community Fieldwork” in Diversity in the Heartland, Professor Ric Sheffield. Kenyon College, October 1, 2019. Invited.
- Guest Lecturer. “Informed Consent and Oral History Fieldwork in Documentary Studies” in Cross Cultural Encounters in Cinema course, Professor Catalina Jordan Alvarez. Antioch College, September 19, 2019. Invited.
- Workshop lead: “Into to Digital Tools: StoryMaps with Brooke Bryan.” Oral History in the Liberal Arts Institute, Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH, July 11, 2019.
- Presenter. “After the Interview— Workflows for Data Management & Indexing for Scholarly Access.” Oral History in the Liberal Arts Institute, Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH, July 11, 2019.
- Presenter, “The Art of the Interview: A Tactical Approach to an Abbreviated Life Story Methodology.” Oral History in the Liberal Arts Institute, Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH, July 10, 2019.
- Presenter. “Project Planning: Developing Project Statements, Consent Forms, Public-facing Project Pages & Outreach Plans” Oral History in the Liberal Arts Institute. Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH. July 10, 2019.
- Presenter. “Digital Oral History as Community-Based Learning— Innovations, Complications, Art” Oral History in the Liberal Arts Institute. Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH. July 9, 2019.
- Presenter. “Pedagogical Frameworks for High Impact Community-Based Learning.” Oral History in the Liberal Arts Workshop, Global Liberal Arts Alliance International Oral History Institute. American University of Bulgaria, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, June 28, 2019. Invited.
- Presenter. “Place-Based Multimedia Projects with StoryMaps & Storymaps JS.” Oral History in the Liberal Arts Workshop, Global Liberal Arts Alliance International Oral History Institute. American University of Bulgaria, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, June 28, 2019. Invited.
- Presenter. “Advancing your Scholarly Agenda with the Oral History Metadata Synchronizer (OHMS).” Oral History in the Liberal Arts Workshop, Global Liberal Arts Alliance International Oral History Institute. American University of Bulgaria, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, June 28, 2019. Invited.
- Presenter. “After the Interview— Workflows for Data Management & a Flash Intro to
- Digital Tools for the OHLA Method.” Oral History in the Liberal Arts Workshop. Global Liberal Arts Alliance International Oral History Institute. American University of Bulgaria, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, June 28, 2019. Invited.
- Presenter. “Field Recording Basics for Interviewers: Getting Good Sound.” Oral History in the Liberal Arts Workshop, Global Liberal Arts Alliance International Oral History Institute. American University of Bulgaria, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, June 27, 2019. Invited.
- Presenter. “The Art of the Interview: A Tactical Approach to an Abbreviated Life Story
- Methodology.” Oral History in the Liberal Arts Workshop, Global Liberal Arts Alliance International Oral History Institute. American University of Bulgaria, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, June 27, 2019. Invited.
- Presenter. “Digital Oral History as Community-Based Learning.” Oral History in the Liberal Arts Workshop. Global Liberal Arts Alliance International Oral History Institute. American University of Bulgaria, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, June 26, 2019. Invited.
- Panelist. “An Introduction to Doing Oral History in the Liberal Arts.” Oral History in the Liberal Arts Workshop, Global Liberal Arts Alliance International Oral History Institute. American University of Bulgaria, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, June 26, 2019. Invited.
- Panelist. “Community Engaged Learning and the Future of Higher Education: Rust-Belt Responses” with chair Steven S. Volk. American Association of Colleges and Universities annual meeting, Raising Our Voices: Reclaiming the Narrative on the Value of Higher Education. January 25, 2019.
- Presenter, “Digital Tools for Content Management & Computation.” Deree College- the American College of Greece. Athens, Greece, June 21, 2018. Invited.
- Presenter, “Digital Oral History in Higher Education: Innovations & Complications.” Deree College- the American College of Greece. Athens, Greece, June 21, 2018. Invited.
- Presenter, “Oral History in the Liberal Arts as a Framework for Digital Liberal Arts Collaboration.” Engaging Liberal Learning Through Global Partnerships, Global Liberal Arts Alliance Annual Meeting. Ifrane, Morocco, March 2018. Invited.
- Chair, “Countering Official Narratives: Oral History and Social Justice” with Dr. Noriko Sugimori, Kalamazoo College and Dr. Ernest Cole, Hope College. Oral History and Student Engagement with Displaced Communities, Global Liberal Arts Alliance Oral History Workshop with Oberlin College & American University of Nigeria. Oberlin College, OH, October 2017. Invited.
- Presenter, “Informed Consent as a Guiding Logic of Oral History Research and the Ethical Challenges of Digital Archives.” Oral History and Student Engagement with Displaced Communities, Global Liberal Arts Alliance Oral History Workshop with Oberlin College & American University of Nigeria. Oberlin College, OH, October 2017. Invited.
- Chair, “Student-Engaged Oral History Research Under the Guidance of GLCA Faculty and Staff.” Oral History and Student Engagement with Displaced Communities, Global Liberal Arts Alliance Oral History Workshop with Oberlin College & American University of Nigeria. Oberlin College, OH, October 2017. Invited.
- Panelist, “GLCA Research and Pedagogical Models: Oral History in the Liberal Arts” with Dr. Adrian Bautista, Meghan Mitchell, Dr, Ian McMillen, Dr. Ken Grossi, and Dr. Tania Boster. Oral History and Student Engagement with Displaced Communities, Global Liberal Arts Alliance Oral History Workshop with Oberlin College & American University of Nigeria. Oberlin College, OH, October 2017. Invited.
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
- Invited Review, Classics Revisited: A Shared Authority: Essays on the Craft and Meaning of Oral and Public History, by Michael Frisch. The Oral History Review, Volume 44, Issue 2, Summer/Fall 2017, Pages 380–382, https://doi.org/10.1093/ohr/ohx054.
- A Closer Look at Community Partnerships, Oral History Review (2013) 40(1): 75-82 https://doi:10.1093/ohr/oht023
- Why here/why now: using websites to power community projects. In D. Boyd, S. Cohen, B. Rakerd, & D. Rehberger (Eds.), Oral history in the digital age. Institute of Library and Museum Services.
- Interview Project. Oral History Review (2010) 37 (1):71-73. https://doi: 10.1093/ohr/ohq035
- Oral History in the Liberal Arts: A community-based teaching & learning program using tools for digital scholarship & storytelling. Consortium for Teaching and Learning, 2018.
- Interviewing 101: A few resources for teaching undergrads how to interview for Public-facing Digital Projects. Within One Term. Oral History in the Liberal Arts, Great Lakes Colleges Association, 2016.
- After the Interview: On Workflow & Choosing a Digital Tool to Visualize, Organize, and Publish Interview Collections. Oral History in the Liberal Arts, Great Lakes Colleges Association, 2016.
PEDAGOGICAL PUBLICATIONS
- Bryan, Brooke. “Oral History in the Liberal Arts: A community-based teaching & learning program using tools for digital scholarship & storytelling.” Consortium for Teaching and Learning, Great Lakes Colleges Association, 2018. Retrieved from http://glcateachlearn.org/oral-history-in-the-liberal-arts-a-community-based-teaching-learning-program-using-tools-for-digital-scholarship-storytelling/.
- Bryan, Brooke. “Interviewing 101: A few resources for teaching undergrads how to interview for Public-facing Digital Projects. Within One Term.” Oral History in the Liberal Arts, Great Lakes Colleges Association, 2016. Retrieved from http://ohla.info/interviewing-101-a-few-resources-for-teaching-undergrads-how-to-interview-for-public-facing-digital-projects-within-one-term/.
- Bryan, Brooke. “After the Interview: On Workflow & Choosing a Digital Tool to Visualize, Organize, and Publish Interview Collections.” Oral History in the Liberal Arts, Great Lakes Colleges Association, 2016. Retrieved from http://ohla.info/visualizing-organizing-publishing-interview-collections/.
- Bryan, Brooke. “A Liberal Sort of Learning: Phenomenological Oral History and the Empirical Humanities.” Oral History in the Liberal Arts, Great Lakes Colleges Association, 2016. Retrieved from http://ohla.info/a-liberal-sort-of-learning-phenomenological-oral-history-and-the-empirical-humanities/.
- Bryan, Brooke. “On capturing the full scope of an evanescent vapor. With an audio recorder.” Oral History in the Liberal Arts, Great Lakes Colleges Association, 2015. Retrieved from: http://ohla.info/on-capturing-the-full-scope-of-an-evanescent-vapor-with-an-audio-recorder/.
- Bryan, Brooke. ‘High Stakes’ Experiential Learning on Co-op: Four Antioch College Students Show Digital Projects at Oral History Association ’15. Oral History in the Liberal Arts, Great Lakes Colleges Association, 2016. Retrieved from http://ohla.info/high-impact-oral-history-antioch/.