Queer exceptions – Q&A with Stephen Greer

Posted by Alice Hoad - Monday, 10 Dec 2018

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How would you like someone who has read your book to sum it up in one sentence?

Queer exceptions is a new study of the contentious relationship between performance, individuality and the demands of neoliberalism, featuring established and emerging artists from the worlds of live art, theatre and stand-up.

What book in your field has inspired you the most?

Sara Ahmedā€™s The Promise of Happiness.

Did your research take you to any unexpected places?

Early in the project, I found myself in an archive in London sitting opposite tabloid journalists using the same collection to dig for dirt on queer activists from the 1970s. It made me think very carefully about the kind of history I was narrating in my own work.

Which writing process do you use (computer, longhand, dictate, other)?

First drafts are written wherever I can get down words: notebooks, my laptop, post-its and sometimes Twitter. After that, a computer with the largest screen I can find.

Why did you choose to publish with MUP?

Iā€™d read a number of other books published by MUP ā€“ including Gabriella Giannachi and Nick Kayeā€™s Performing presence: Between the live and simulated, and Jen Harvieā€™s Staging the UK ā€“ and thought that it seemed a great home for a project rooted in theory, history and practice.

What are you working on now?

A history of Live Art in Scotland.

If you could go back and give yourself once piece of advice when starting out on this project, what would it be?

Share drafts early and often: youā€™re a better editor when you have an audience.

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