In this episode of The Outsider Within, we sit down with Dr. Sally Pirie, an anthropologist, visual artist, and professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. ​ Dr. Pirie shares her groundbreaking work in comics-based research, exploring how comics can democratize knowledge and make complex ideas accessible without oversimplifying them. She discusses her passion for normalizing gender diversity, her experiences as a mother of a transgender child, and the intersection of advocacy, scholarship, and creativity in her work. ​From her journey as a professional cartoonist to her pioneering work in comics-based research, Dr. Pirie offers insights into the power of art as a tool for resistance, storytelling, and truth-telling. She also offers practical advice for aspiring comic researchers and reflects on the importance of advocating for marginalized voices during challenging times. Whether you're an academic, artist, or advocate, this episode is sure to inspire and ignite your creativity.Tune in to hear how Dr. Pirie is reshaping the boundaries of research and making space for new ways of knowing.

In this thought-provoking and timely episode, we catch up with Dr. Raul A. Mora to discuss his work in the award-winning Literacies in Second Languages Project research lab and what it means to find community and purpose across and within our interconnected worlds.

Horses have always inspired the collective imagination. In this compelling episode, we talk with Dr. JuliAnna Avila about her research which “collapses the distance” between geographical and cultural boundaries, digital and physical spaces, and, most significantly, horses and humans. Influenced by New Literacies scholarship and employing a sociocultural theoretical framework, Ávila explores self-directed learning journeys; the flexibility of apprentice and expert positions; the influence of consumer culture; the philosophy and significance of the cultural roots of Vaquero horsemanship; the role of technology; and what the future of this continually evolving horsemanship might include.