Queer Theory has maintained an unstable place in Writing Studies because of the ever-changing political and social uses and definitions of the term “queer” in contemporary western society. In this essay, I discuss how composition scholars must reinterpret their understanding of Queer Composition from a writing genre to a writing heuristic in order to stabilize queerness in Writing Studies. I show how the Queer Composition heuristic functions within a text by using Lynda Barry’s creative and pedagogical text What It Is as an example that iterates queerness as an accessible and inclusive practice for all writers.
","abstract_html":"<p>Queer Theory has maintained an unstable place in Writing Studies because of the ever-changing political and social uses and definitions of the term “queer” in contemporary western society. In this essay, I discuss how composition scholars must reinterpret their understanding of Queer Composition from a writing genre to a writing heuristic in order to stabilize queerness in Writing Studies. I show how the Queer Composition heuristic functions within a text by using Lynda Barry’s creative and pedagogical text What It Is as an example that iterates queerness as an accessible and inclusive practice for all writers. </p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["McClure, James Franklin"],"institution":"Eastern Kentucky University","degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Master's","degree_discipline":"English and Theatre","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2019-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:15:47Z","subjects":["First-Year Writing","Lynda Barry","Process Pedagogy","Queer Composition","Visual Rhetoric","Writing Studies","Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies","Rhetoric and Composition"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright 2019 James Franklin McClure"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/596","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["McClure, James Franklin"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Master Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English and Theatre"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Eastern Kentucky University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["First-Year Writing","Lynda Barry","Process Pedagogy","Queer Composition","Visual Rhetoric","Writing Studies","Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies","Rhetoric and Composition"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2019 James Franklin McClure"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/596"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Queer Theory has maintained an unstable place in Writing Studies because of the ever-changing political and social uses and definitions of the term “queer” in contemporary western society. In this essay, I discuss how composition scholars must reinterpret their understanding of Queer Composition from a writing genre to a writing heuristic in order to stabilize queerness in Writing Studies. I show how the Queer Composition heuristic functions within a text by using Lynda Barry’s creative and pedagogical text What It Is as an example that iterates queerness as an accessible and inclusive practice for all writers.
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"],"dc:format":["application/PDF"],"dc:identifier":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/596"],"dc:publisher":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2019 James Franklin McClure"],"dc:source":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"],"dc:subject":["First-Year Writing","Lynda Barry","Process Pedagogy","Queer Composition","Visual Rhetoric","Writing Studies","Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies","Rhetoric and Composition"],"dc:title":["\"Where Is A Story Before It Becomes Words?\": Understanding Queer Composition's Place in Writing Studies Through Lynda Barry's What It Is"],"dc:type":["Master Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English and Theatre"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"],"thesis:institution_name":["Eastern Kentucky University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:15:47Z"}