This week was about a little more research. As I start to work on my primary project for the RRJ, I’m also realizing some of my work is informing each other.
Also they’re not crossing topics, my primary project is all about the changing marketing of Xtra and, by extension, the notion of the “changing” definition of the community. Who is part of this community? The definition has finally drifted from looking to white gay men to serve as the only figureheads of the community into a more diverse cultural landscape for LGBT2SQIA+ folks.
In the same way, Xtra’s publication and the queer community of PEI has changed as well. Fab ceased publication in favour of a staff and publication that looks toward intersectionality to inform and more closely match its readership. And despite PEI’s small size and relative lack of “diversity”, the queer community itself has developed into something far more inclusive than even when I was in high school.
Apart from that, I’m looking forward to the MRP class this week to speak with Eternity again. I’m hoping to speak to her for the purposes of my primary project, but also to help discuss queer journalism in general. I’m wondering how this is going to roll out in general – hopefully with few conflicts as I write about Xtra, but I’m excited to get Eternity’s advice on a topic that she’s well-versed with.
Sonya and Adrian’s talk also made me question more whether I do want to include more immersive elements in my own piece. I had been toying with the the idea of theatre elements (it just makes sense), but now am genuinely wondering if they could have a place in my piece – perhaps I can narrate with video? Maybe some sort of smaller live presentation can be made out of my narrative piece eventually? Of course I don’t want to be taking on too much, but I definitely want to toss around the possibilities!
I can imagine the piece eventually taking on some kind of presentational style – PEI is so much about live storytelling traditions, and I feel like it would match the medium to the content well if I were to take something like that on.
Immersive storytelling is a super-interesting approach to your project. PEI really lends itself to the personal elements and the traditional form. Is there a way to take a page from the live journalism playbook and create an interactive multimedia experience. I know we’ve gone back and forth on the road trip experience, but perhaps there’s room for a storytelling chronological approach to the province’s LGBT2SQIA+ history and present?