Lori West Peterson – författare

Narrating Midlife: Crisis, Transition, and Transformation is rooted in a discussion about why it is important to address the midlife years in ways that challenge and interrogate the myths that surround this phase of life. Although readers are free to construct their own meaning after reading each narrative, they are encouraged to attend to the ways in which each narrative reveals how the author grapples with their particular issues communicatively. More important, readers are invited to see the power of narrative re-framing as authors seek to understand, interpret and “live” midlife change(s) in ways that are empowering and life affirming. In this book, contributors spin compelling and meaningful narratives about change at midlife. The empty nest, the surprise discovery of cancer, re-defining one's life at midlife and re-imagining long term commitment after divorce are just some of the topics explored in this book. Auto-ethnographically crafted, the narratives presented throughout the book aim to show how managing and living through change at midlife is very much a communicative endeavor.

In Resisting the “War on Woke”: Autoethnographic Narratives of Struggle, Resistance, and Hope, a collection of scholars working across the United States – in both red and blue states alike – present first-hand, evocative autoethnographic accounts of the profound effects that anti-DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) legislation and policy have had on faculty, staff, students, and the broader public in the wake of the so-called "war on woke".As radical right-wing politicians continue to use pseudointellectual tactics to target what they consider divisive ideologies in both scholarly and everyday contexts – finding ground by leveraging insincere and manufactured “concern” for the safety of groups like women and children – scholars argue that combatting these narratives by centering the lived experiences of directly-involved stakeholders is more crucial now than ever.Through diverse, honest, and compelling personal narratives, an impressive roster of contributors assembled by editors Lori West Peterson, Lisa Tillmann, and Nicole Richter harness the power of autoethnographic methods to demonstrate how “anti-woke” backlash threatens academic freedom, compromises personal and professional wellbeing, and endangers safety for the very demographics this legislation claims to protect. Just as importantly, these narratives also shine a light on how both individuals and communities continue to resist oppression and uphold their own values, even when the current landscape seems poised against them. Ultimately, Resisting the “War on Woke” adopts a hopeful outlook as contributors reflect on what can be learned from their struggles and how we might apply these lessons to fight back against regressive agendas in both academic and civic contexts.