Department of Rhetoric & Writing
University of Texas at Austin
Abigail N Burns
PhD Student
About Me
Howdy howdy!
I am a third-year PhD student at the University of Texas at Austin where I study rhetoric(s) of social control with a particular focus on understanding how systems of domination, injustice, and violence reproduce themselves against the transformative potential of critique and (direct) action. My work dances between rhetorical, critical, queer, and feminist theory and cultural studies.
Education
I earned my MFA in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame in 2018. There, I had the privilege of working under Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi on a novella titled Storied Women, which tells a story of writing the self from within the liminal space of grief.
Other Experience
Over the last six years, I have designed and taught a variety of first-year writing, creative writing, and rhetoric courses between UT Austin and Notre Dame. These courses include: "Critical Reading & Persuasive Writing," "Rhetoric of Allyship," "Rhetoric of Social Movements," "Fiction Writing," and more.
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I am also currently an Assistant Program Coordinator with UT's University Writing Center where I provide training and professional development support to both undergraduate and graduate writing consultants.